Volunteer "residents" helped St Albans City and District Council test its readiness for handling an emergency this week in an exercise involving an imaginary fire in high-rise flats.

The residents, played by students from Oaklands College and by Fire Service volunteers, were evacuated from the flats and moved to the Jubilee Centre, St Albans.

The "emergency" was a training exercise for staff from the council, Hertfordshire County Council's Fire and Rescue Service and Hertfordshire Constabulary.

They were also joined by the British Red Cross and the Royal Voluntary Service, and staff from the council and the voluntary sector ran the reception centre, processing and attending to the health and welfare of over 35 "evacuees".

The exercise is one of a number held each year by the council in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council's resilience team.

Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 the Council is required to have an emergency plan in place and to test it on a regular basis.

Councillor Beric Read, Portfolio Holder for Community Engagement and Localism for St Albans City and District Council, said: "St Albans District is a safe area, but occasionally incidents take place that affect local residents or businesses.

"When they do, several different organisations may be involved in managing the incident.

"It is crucial that they have planned and practiced their procedures so that they can provide a co-ordinated response and reduce the impact of the incident."