RESPONSE times for blazes in Woolwich could rocket if the nearest fire station is closed, a meeting heard last night.

Under cost-cutting plans by mayor of London Boris Johnson, Woolwich fire station will be closed along with 11 others across the capital - including New Cross and Downham - plus an overall reduction of 520 fire fighter posts.

London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson told the sparsely-attended consultation meeting at the Old Royal Naval College that response times would increase borough wide by around 30 seconds, but they would still hit targets of arriving between six to eight minutes after call out.

But the Fire Brigades Union claimed the six minute target would be breached 47.2 per cent of the time while Labour Assembly Member Navin Shah, who was on the panel, said: "Woolwich Common and Woolwich Riverside, the two most deprived wards in the borough, will see increases in response times.

"Woolwich Riverside will see an increase by a staggering two minutes."

The Grade II-listed building should not be closed and turned "into a free school" he said, calling the plans "plain daft".

Councillor Maureen O'Mara hit out at the choice of venue, saying: "I think it would have been a bit braver of you to have held this meeting in Woolwich."

She also referred to statistics showing Woolwich Riverside, where the population is increasing rapidly with new high-rise developments, already had the fifth highest number of serious fires in the whole of London.

One particularly vocal woman , who said her father was a fire fighter, laid into Mr Dobson, saying: "Fire fighters need your support. They need you to be fighting for them not giving in to Boris Johnson."

And several people raised a recent blaze in the Glyndon estate where an appliance from Plumstead was held up in heavy traffic and it was left to a Woolwich crew to save the woman who lived there.

London Assembly member Len Duvall, a Woolwich resident, told the panel: "If it wasn't for the Woolwich fire engine that person could have been well and truly dead."

Defending the plans, Chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) James Cleverly said: "Like our other public services in the country, the London Fire Brigade is having to make savings.

"We're having to look at delivering for Londoners for less money than we have done in the past."

The LFEPA  has officially logged its opposition to cuts to front-line services but say it is consulting fairly under the Mayor of London’s direction. The consultation ends on June 17 with a final report to be published on July 18.

To have your say visit london-fire.gov.uk/LSP5.asp or call 0800 9888 569 or email londonsafetyplan@london-fire.gov.uk