FIRE crews in Earby have been told to take a 'softly, softly' approach after the noise of their drills annoyed a local resident.

An anonymous friend said firefighters had told him they were being prevented from drilling properly because of the neighbour's noise complaint.

Firefighters at the retained station in Jagoe Road practice each Monday from 6-8pm. The engine is revved so that they can use the hose reels and the radio is left on in case of calls.

After the complaint from a resident of Jagoe Mews, which backs on to the fire station yard, a firefighter now stays in the station to listen to the radio and then has to rush outside to alert his colleagues.

The complainant said: "They got a call during the drill on Monday. It turned out that a small amount of smoke had set off alarms at a local old people's home. The delay in responding to the call may only have been 20 seconds, but any delay is to be regretted."

He added: "It is not a busy station, they only get about 85 calls a year.

"That makes it doubly important that they carry out drills and practice to keep up to speed.

"The woman complained to Lancashire fire headquarters, who then contacted Earby, asking them to cut down on the noise."

A spokesman for the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, John Taylor, said: "The emphasis has to be on the urge to live harmoniously with neighbours and try to oblige where we can.

"It is clear some noise is inevitable, but it is restricted to one evening a week and not too late."

He added: "Nevertheless, we don't like to upset anyone and we have asked the crews to do what they can to keep the noise down. It won't stop them doing the drills."

He added: "We are adopting a softly, softly approach to this one."