A fire station is holding an open day in the hope of recruiting more firefighters.

Maldon, Burnham, Tillingham and Tollesbury fire stations are running a recruitment drive on Saturday at Maldon fire station, in Wycke Hill, from 10am to 4pm.

Visitors can see the equipment used by the service as well as getting advice and safety tips on preventing fires and accidents.

Station manager Karen Nicholl said: “Our fire stations need more firefighters to help protect their communities.

“The doors will be open to anyone that lives or works within five minutes of the fire station to come and gain extra information on becoming part of the team.

“The day is also an excellent opportunity for any business managers to attend to see how they can support the local crews by allowing a staff member to be on call while at work.

“There are many companies that already do this and without these people we would further struggle for daytime fire cover in the area.”

Watch manager Martin Cable has been at Maldon for 43 years

He said: “I’ve enjoyed every moment of it – I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.

“We offer a number of contracts including daytime, evening and weekends, and 24-hour standby roles.

“It’s very rewarding if you go out and save someone’s life – that’s a great feeling.

“We try to work as a whole team so we make sure people can be flexible.”