West Yorkshire's oldest operational fire station closes

West Yorkshire's oldest operational fire station has closed its doors for the last time.

Gipton fire station, which opened in east Leeds in 1937, is among 10 in the county being axed as part of cost-cutting measures.

Its closure was approved along with Stanks station, which opened in 1973. A new station at Killingbeck, now fully open, will cover both previous patches.

West Yorkshire Fire Service said the move would not affect response times.

Charities and community groups are aiming to use Gipton as a base.

Chris Bates, assistant district commander, worked at Gipton as a firefighter for 12 years from 1994.

He said: "I remember in 1996 we had 7,000 calls. They were very proud times, but obviously mixed with sad times."

Gipton was earmarked for closure in 2011 when the fire service announced moves to cut costs.

Station commander Lee Benson, who has led the move to Killingbeck, said: "It has been a long hard year, but we have finally got there and we are really proud of what we have got.

"What we have lost at Gipton, we have gained and a little bit more with the new station."