DORSET is geared up to respond to major incidents such as a chemical spillage or terrorist attack thanks to a special unit at Blandford Fire Station.

The Incident Response Unit has the capability of providing hot and cold showers for around 400 people to wash off chemical substances and is a mobile facility which can be set up at emergencies.

And chiefs at the fire service say they hope they never have cause to use it.

Simon Tattersall, an assistant planner for Dorset Fire and Rescue, said: "The appliance was brought in so that we are able to deal with incidents more professionally."

He sited the world political climate and major incidents over past years such as floods, severe train crashes and spillages from tankers as factors influencing the necessity of the new appliance, but emphasised it's purely there as a precaution.

He added: "Potentially it could save lives. It could be used at any incident - particularly larger scale incidents where there are a number of people involved.

"It would have been really useful at an incident such as the severe flooding in Boscastle, Cornwall, the other week as it would have provided an area for people to warm up and wash off all the mud.

"We are proud to have the unit here. It is far better than what we had before and can deal with incidents on a much larger scale."

The unit, which cost around £150,000, is being stored in Blandford because of its easy access to link roads in the county. It was funded by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Divisional Officer Adrian Crook said: "It will prove invaluable if a chemical tanker overturns near a school or if we have mudslides - even if the incident isn't a contamination it will be useful just to get people clean and provide them with some shelter."

The unit transforms into one giant shower unit or a number of more private cubicles.

First published: September 22