by Graham Tutthill gtutthill@thekmgroup.co.uk

Crews at one of the fire stations due to close in April have answered two emergency calls within four days.

Villagers in St Margaret’s are considering pushing for a judicial review as a last-ditch effort to save their fire station.

This follows Kent Fire and Rescue Service’s announcement that the Reach Road station is to close on April 2.

Seven other part-time stations are also to close.

On Monday St Margaret’s firefighters went on standby to cover Ramsgate while two crews from Ramsgate and two from Margate tackled a house fire in Westgate.

This morning, at 5am, the crew was called to a house at Bay Hill at St Margaret's Bay where there was a smell of burning. The fault was traced to an electrical consumer unit in the house and Network Power were called in to rectify the fault. A Dover fire crew also attended.

People in the village were “devastated” and the community’s retained fire crew were said to be “dejected” and “shattered”, following a concerted community campaign to save the station.

A leading St Margaret’s campaigner said she believed there was “very good grounds” for an appeal.

Parish council chairman Brenda Paul said St Margaret’s was “a very special case”. There was anxiety voiced that 24-hour cover could not be guaranteed and that arrival times would take longer.