FEARS are being expressed that there are only six retained firefighters left in Porthmadog station - and they are often not available for emergencies in the daytime.

County councillor Jason Humphreys fears Porthmadog Fire Station could be facing a recruitment crisis and told the Cambrian News he understands day-time incidents have to be dealt with by full-time fire crews in Blaenau Ffestiniog and Harlech.

Cllr Humphreys said: “Concerns have been expressed to me privately by credible sources about the staffing levels at this retained station and what seems to be a lacklustre recruitment drive for Porthmadog.

“I’m told that they’re down to six people and that their hours are practically restricted to between 5pm and 7am. Daytime incidents often have to be dealt with by Ffestiniog and Harlech stations.”

The councillor, who represents Porthmadog East on Gwynedd Council, is now calling for an urgent meeting between fire chiefs and the county councillors of Eifionydd and Deudraeth. “We need to resolve the situation and to see where we’re going,” added Cllr Humphreys.

Cllr Eirwyn Williams, who represents Criccieth on Gwynedd Council, has also backed these calls. He said: “The situation is very worrying.

"It’s vital that we have a fire service which is able to respond quickly and effectively to incidents in Criccieth so we need to look urgently into matters. I therefore fully back this call.”

Richard Fairhead, assistant chief fire officer for North Wales, said: “When personnel at the station are not available, the service ensures the closest available resources are mobilised immediately.

"This is standard operating procedure across the region.”

See the full story in this week’s Arfon/Dwyfor edition of the Cambrian News