The first of county's new off-road 4x4 fire engines was on show at a north Norfolk fire station at the weekend.

Wroxham Fire Station was the first to receive one of the new generation fire engines and the new pump was put on display at the station's open day yesterday (Saturday).

Nine further off-road vehicles will be rolled out over the coming months and will be deployed at Sheringham, King's Lynn, Great Yarmouth, Downham Market, Thetford, Martham, Acle, Methwold and Loddon.

The rescue pumps - a first for Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service - do the same as a standard fire engine but are also able to cope better with severe weather conditions, such as flooding, ice and snow or forest fires.

Nigel Dixon, cabinet member for community protection, said: 'While money remains tight, and the county's overall budget and that of our fire and rescue service also remain under pressure, we will not stop providing critical equipment to our fire and rescue service. We recognise the need to continue investing to maintain the effectiveness of our frontline emergency response.

'We are aware that our firefighters need the best equipment to keep them safe and this new vehicle, with wider capability, is as much about ensuring their safety as it is about keeping our communities safe.'

Roy Harold, assistant chief fire officer for Norfolk, said: 'Thanks to a thorough and efficient procurement process the cost of around �250,000 each is lower than the cost of a standard two-wheel drive fire engine.'

Proceeds from the day raised funds for the Firefighters Charity.