UNPRECEDENTED budget cuts facing Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service will have a “frightening” impact on the community.

Fire authority members heard today that losing at least £10m in funding will mean slashing front line services and compulsory redundancies.

The service, already reeling from a £9.2m grant reduction imposed by the coalition last year, is now expecting a further £10.8m drop in funding – and that is the best case scenario.

National figures for local grant cuts were announced at 8.5% for 2014 and 5% for 2015.

Although local figures have not yet been revealed, Merseyside suffered twice as badly as the national average during the last round of cuts.

Fire authority members warned the cuts will be dangerous to the Merseyside community, but they will have little choice but to implement them.

In a presentation to the fire authority yesterday deputy chief executive Kieran Timmins explained: “Those are very large cuts which you cannot describe as savings or efficiencies.

“Will we do better or worse than the national average? Last time northern urban authorities were heavily penalised.

“We need to start planning at least based on the national average and there will be healthy debate as to whether it will be worse than that.

“It adds up very quickly to £10.8m of cuts. The scale of the cuts will inevitably impact on the front line.”

Although 92 fire fighters and 66 back office staff have either left or are due to leave through voluntary means and natural wastage, in order to balance the books, the authority have been spending cash reserves to avoid having to make compulsory redundancies.