MULTI-million pound cuts to Hampshire's fire brigade will hit Winchester hardest, a senior source has warned.

Fire chiefs have denied claims that they are considering a tax hike to help meet a £5 million shortfall which could see Winchester Fire Station's budget slashed by nearly 40 per cent.

Proposals seen by this newspaper, which are out for consultation with firefighters, say 14 full-time job cuts will help save £518,000 from Winchester's budget of £1.3 million.

As previously reported, the changes could see more than 100 frontline job losses across Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, raising fears for overnight cover in Winchester. Concerns have also been raised for vulnerable historic buildings like Winchester Cathedral.

MORE: Winchester Fire Station facing 'scary' staff cuts under county-wide savings drive

An experienced firefighter with links to senior management said the city will see emergency response times increase by up to five minutes at night if part-time staff cannot be retained in numbers.

He told the Chronicle: "I think Winchester's getting the worst deal in the whole county, I really do. Being very central to the whole geography of Hampshire, flinging all that money on that fire station down there and then having the financial cuts leaving it uncrewed at night, I think is diabolical.

"The people of Winchester are looking at night time response probably taking four or five minutes longer."

He added: "If I was retained there and my employer, my wife and my family are happy for me to turn out there, that all well and good. It only takes a family break-up or your employer needing to tighten his belt and he can no longer release you to respond to fire emergencies.

"If no one comes forward to do those duties, how are we going to cover them?"

Winchester firefighters moved from North Walls to a new base in Easton Lane, Winnall, in 2011. Fire chiefs said at the time that the new base, close to the M3 and housing 70 staff, would allow it to provide faster emergency cover.

The source said: "At that time, we probably had the money to do it and that was the sensible thing to do, to fund a better service for Hampshire. They're now trying to tell us what's changed in the last four years to make that no longer required. Clearly it's required. You're never going to get management that admits to it when they're going to make budgetary cuts.

"They have spent millions of pounds building the station - they're now renting half of it to the police."

The source added that Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority is considering raising the council tax precept to help meet its shortfall. But Cllr Keith Chapman, vice-chairman, said: "We have had no decisions or started those discussions. As far as members are concerned, we've not discussed raising precept next year."

Neil Odin, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service's deputy chief officer, said: “The way we are funded is changing which means that HFRS is taking steps to address a gap of £12 million. We are still at an early point in a process that will ensure that Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service continues to enhance safety for people in their homes, at work and in their communities.

“At the moment we are discussing options with staff throughout the service, including Winchester Fire Station and the feedback that we get from them will help us form the plans that we will put out for public consultation in the autumn. It is far too early to talk about any of the finer details of what might come forward at individual stations later in the year as the key point of that process is that it is all up for debate."