Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS) is set to acquire three new and more modern specialist vehicles.

A report submitted to Gloucestershire County Council's cabinet says the current fleet is ageing and needs to be replaced.

Three new specialist vehicles will be purchased over the next two years, using capital funding that has already been secured from the county council totalling £1.25 million.

The vehicles - an aerial ladder platform, incident command unit and crane unit - are needed to maintain an effective operational response to keep communities safe.

They are more environmentally friendly than the old fleet as they use greener engines, so the amount of emissions they produce is reduced.

The vehicles would also help ensure the average availability of GFRS fire engines remains high. Currently the average availability is 91.8 per cent, higher than the average across England of 86.4 per cent.

Cabinet gave its approval to go ahead with the purchases at its meeting yesterday (Wednesday).

Mark Preece, chief fire officer, said: "These new vehicles will enable us to continue to provide the best possible service to the people of Gloucestershire. The current fleet is ageing and needs replacing and these more modern, efficient vehicles will ensure that we can respond as promptly as possible to fires and other emergencies around the county."

Cllr Dave Norman, Gloucestershire County Council cabinet member with responsibility for the Fire and Rescue Service, said: "I'm delighted that we are able to continue our investment into Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service. These new vehicles will help us meet our climate change ambitions by cutting emissions and ensure crews are using the most modern vehicles to keep people safe."

During cabinet the improvement plan developed in response to the most recent His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services report was approved for submission.