YORK firefighters have taken delivery of two new rescue tenders.

The £120,000 fire engines are based at York and Acomb fire stations.

Each machine boasts new heavy-duty hydraulic cutting equipment, enabling firefighters to speed up the process of rescuing people trapped after traffic accidents.

The new fire engines feature better ladders and lightweight pumps.

The machines have been funded by the Fire Authority as part of its vehicle replacement scheme. Fire engines are kept in a busy fire station such as York for three years, before being replaced and shipped out to quieter stations.

York divisional officer Graham Buckle said York had been assessed as needing two engines because of the high density of road accidents in the area.

He said: "Most of our casualties come from road traffic accidents and I think it's because we have the A64, A1 and A19 in our area, all big fast-moving roads.

Mr Buckle said the firefighters were delighted with their new machines.

Updated: 10:03 Saturday, February 07, 2004