COST-cutting measures by the fire brigade have been criticised after an engine was unavailable to attend a blaze in which a couple were killed.

The vehicle and crew from Sale had been called to provide cover at Leigh Fire Station on the night of January 11.

The station at Leigh had only one engine on call as part of a cost-cutting drive and this had been called to another emergency.

On the same evening, a suspected arson attack at a house in Brooklands, near Sale, killed Maureen and Alex Cochrane, and left their daughter fighting for life.

Fire chiefs say the absence of the Sale engine did not affect response times to the fatal fire.

But firefighters fear that the cuts, which leave some stations, including Farnworth, with one crew and engine instead of two on certain nights, could end in tragedy.

A senior Bolton officer said: "It's only a matter of time until someone loses their life because of this. We were very concerned about cuts to the service across Manchester, but particularly in Farnworth. It's inevitable that cutting the service puts lives at risk."

Firefighters reacted furiously to proposals unveiled at the end of last year to axe frontline services.

The move - which came into effect at the start of the year - leaves Farnworth fire station with just one crew between 6pm on Sunday nights and 9am the following day.

Bury is affected in the same way on Sunday and Tuesday nights and Leigh on Thursday and Saturday nights.

Peter Taylor, secretary for the Fire Brigades Union in Manchester, said members feared "tragic consequences".

Divisional officer Andy Heywood, who is borough commander for the Bolton and Leigh area, said: "The attendance time in this incident wasn't affected and if anything, this has proved that we can still maintain a high-quality service to the public."