IN a move that could save £30,000, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue is to start charging firms for repeated calls about broken lifts.

The service have confirmed that it costs £303 for a one-hour attendance using one appliance, and so are aiming to bring in the policy from April.

They said they will only take cost recovery on businesses where there are persistent problems.

There were 246 call-outs in Somerset and 1608 in Devon between 2011-15.

By taking no action on lift rescues, it would cost £758,000 over three years, according to the service, and this is a figure it wants to reduce.

Area manager, Neil Blackburn, of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We don't ever want to get to that position where we are charging businesses, the intention is we will work with the businesses and we will encourage them to take action.

"We will only take cost recovery on businesses where there are persistent problems."

The fire service said the recovery costs would be made on a case-by-case basis, circumstance dependent.

If repeated call-outs were made to the same firm, they could be faced with paying for the cost of sending one fire engine, which is £303.

The new policy is estimated to save the service £30,000 a year.