Richmond fire station has welcomed Lisa Hicks as their new station manager, who started this week.

Miss Hicks, formerly a manager of Clapham fire station, was looking forward to working in Richmond at a challenging time for the London Fire Brigade.

The 39-year-old said: “We have a lot of change going on within the fire service at the moment, so part of my job will be getting the staff through those changes while providing the high standard and professional service we have always provided and maintaining the safety of people who live here.”

Miss Hicks, who lives in Southampton, replaced previous station manager Benedict Moore on Tuesday, January 21.

She said: “The previous station manager has had a temporary promotion so the opening came up at Richmond and I was very lucky to get it.”