The new leader of a fire service has said he will work his hardest to put the county at the “very top when it comes to fire and rescue services”.

Matthew Warren was appointed chief fire officer of Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue after taking over from Chris Strickland.

He has worked for the service since 2003 and his previous roles included head of finance and corporate development, and director of resources.

Mr Warren said he was “really excited” to take on the top job and grateful to have been appointed.

“We have got a great team of people – the best, I would suggest – and we are in a good state to put ourselves right at the very top when it comes to fire and rescue services,” he added, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Strickland announced his plans to retire earlier this year, after 40 years at Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue and eight as chief fire officer.

He supported Mr Warren’s appointment, saying he knows the organisation “inside and out”.

The chartered accountant, who has been the service’s deputy chief executive since 2015, was appointed with unanimous backing by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority.

Edna Murphy, chair of the authority, said: “Matthew was the outstanding candidate from a robust and challenging process, including interviews with members, the current leadership team and a panel of colleagues from across the organisation.”

As part of the service’s senior leadership team, Mr Warren helped deliver new fire stations for Cambridge and Huntingdon.