A STAY of execution for Norfolk's flood sirens should be used to look into alternative technology, say councillors in the north of the county.Just days after the county council bowed to public pressure and delayed the switch-off of the sirens until the new year, North Norfolk District Council showed its support for the communities battling to keep them.

A STAY of execution for Norfolk's flood sirens should be used to look into alternative technology, say councillors in the north of the county.

Just days after the county council bowed to public pressure and delayed the switch-off of the sirens until the new year, North Norfolk District Council showed its support for the communities battling to keep them.

A meeting of the council agreed to urge County Hall to work more closely with the villages affected - and to look at updating the sirens with modern technology that was not dependent on phone and power lines that could be lost in a storm.

Emergency planning portfolio holder Eric Seward said the move followed concern from coastal councillors and the district's previous support for retaining the sirens.

It was vital for county officials to check with coastal communities - who may be asked to take ownership of the sirens in the next six months - on whether it was practical to do so.

“The sirens will almost certainly need updating, so the county council also needs to talk to the communities who want to retain them about the best way forward before asking them to do it,” he said. With the switch-off date now pushed back to January 31, he said the time should also be used to look at solar and wind energy when upgrading the sirens.

Routine testing of the county's flood sirens will take place tomorrow - sounding for five minutes between 9.30am and 10.30am.