A former community fire station in Papworth Everard is to go under the hammer with a guide price of £250,000 as part of a Cheffins property auction.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority approved the to sell the fire station earlier this year following all staff at Papworth relocating to Cambourne in May to improve fire cover in the area

Cheffins say that the vacant 1,900 sq ft building is a rare freehold opportunity with residential development potential.

Director at Cheffins, Ian Kitson, said: "The fire station in Papworth Everard is an attractive opportunity and could lend itself for uses as offices or even as a residential property."

Cheffins will sell the fire station to the highest bidder on behalf of Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue, who will receive the money from the sale.

A Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "The funds will be re-invested in fire stations across the county to ensure they remain fit for purpose for a modern fire and rescue service.”

The auction will take place online on December 7 from 2pm, showcasing the property's features which include a large tarmacked yard and internally, a main fire appliance hall, an office, stores and staff facilities.

Ian explained: "The fire station has come available to buy since Papworth Hospital was relocated to Cambridge.

"Following this, the fire station became surplus to requirements, and the fire service struggled to encourage enough volunteers."

Since the hospital moved out of Papworth, the fire service struggled to have enough on-call firefighters available during the day, as many of the response crew worked at the hospital.

On-call firefighters are not based at a fire station but go about their everyday lives and wear an 'alerter' that goes off when they are needed for them to immediately make their way to the fire station.

The fire service said with more on-call firefighters in Cambourne, fire cover will improve, and so will response times, rather than extra travel causing a delay.

Back in February, when Assitant chief fire officer Jon Anderson announced the move, he said: “With the hospital gone, the risk profile of the area has also changed for us as it was always our greatest risk from fire.

"With the number of houses rapidly growing in Cambourne, the risk balance has tipped and now is an appropriate time to make the move."