A NERVE centre which has been purpose built to deal with major incidents in the York and Selby area, such as flooding, has been unveiled in the city.

The new base for Silver Command - the city's multi-agency emergency planning group - boasts the latest state-of-the-art gadgetry to give the city's services a firm grip on any situation.

It has been set up in a new £2.5 million call handling centre at the rear of York police station, in Fulford Road, and has been kitted out with £11,000 worth of equipment.

Chief Superintendent John Lacy, police commander for the York and Selby area, said: "Command and control is vital for running any situation. If you get that right and all the agencies are working together then that equals success."

Agencies involved in Silver Command include police, fire, ambulance, Army, the council, social services and the Environment Agency.

Representatives were at the command's new base for its official opening yesterday to check out the facilities it has to offer.

In the new centre, each agency has dedicated desks with banks of screens giving them the latest information and the ability to zoom in on any part of the area on detailed maps.

It also features a conference room and a fully equipped media centre so agencies can monitor what the public is being told and quickly quash any incorrect information being put out. Barry Kelly, City of York Council's emergency planning co-ordinator, said: "This is a great step forward. We have got to thank North Yorkshire Police for taking the lead in establishing this facility." The plan for a new base for Silver Command came out of the aftermath of the record floods of November 2000, when agencies realised the need to maximise their use of communication and information technology.

Updated: 11:05 Tuesday, March 05, 2002