PLANS for a regional 999 fire control centre in Taunton have been scrapped – after tens of millions of pounds had been spent on it.

The Government decided to pull the plug on the facility at Blackbrook, which would have replaced emergency call sites from Gloucestershire to the Isles of Scilly, including one at Hestercombe House, on the outskirts of Taunton.

It is unclear what will happen to the Blackbrook premises, which are standing empty at a cost of more than £100,000 a month, although ministers hope it can still be used by the emergency services.

Fire Minister Bob Neill announced on Monday that the project for nine regional centres to replace 46 dotted around the country was being axed as it could not be delivered to “an acceptable time frame”.

The Fire Brigades Union in the South-West, who had consistently opposed the ‘super centre’, welcomed the decision.

Executive council member Tam McFarlane said: “We welcome the fact that the Government has finally accepted what the FBU has always said, that the regional control centre project was a disaster that threatened the operational effectiveness of the fire and rescue service and wasted hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money, and has now finally scrapped it.

“The FBU will now be strongly making the point to all concerned that the most effective, resilient and safest solution for the public and fire service is to invest in the excellent fire control rooms in the South-West that we currently have.”

Regional secretary John Drake said: “Over £200million has been sunk into a project we knew would never see the light of day.

“This money could have been diverted into the fire and rescue service which would have seen real improvements in firefighter and community safety.”

Devon and Somerset chief fire officer Lee Howell said the service in the two counties would look for a control room solution “to provide the best technology, maintain the quality of service and deliver this at an affordable price”.

He added: “We’ll be seeking financial support from the Government to assist us to fund some of these changes. We will shortly be considering our options and will consult with the public and our staff as a result.”