THE York public is being given an extra month to have its say over a potential downgrading of the city’s main fire station.

A consultation on a shake-up of the city’s fire cover has been extended from the end of November until the end of December.

A City of York Council document seen by The Press has suggested a new fire station may be built in Hull Road, but York fire chief John Swires today said that was premature.

Mr Swires said North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service had already indicated that any new station would likely be in the “south-east corridor”, but he said no specific sites had yet been sought.

The initial public consultation drew a poor response, but residents and businesses can have their say for the rest of the year, by contacting the service.

One option is to scale down the Clifford Street station and build another one elsewhere.

Mr Swires, group manager for the city of York and Selby district, said: “If we do build another station, then the area we would look to build it in is the south-east corridor.”

He said Hull Road itself was not necessarily the preferred site, adding: “If that option is chosen, we need to find somewhere in that south-east corridor.”