Firefighters' union sounds alarm over scale of job cuts

More than 1,000 firefighters' jobs have been axed under the government's "savage" spending cuts, with fresh losses in the pipeline, the service's main trade union has warned.

One in ten jobs could be lost in the next three years, leading to several thousand fewer firemen and women across the UK, the union said.

Research by the FBU, based on Freedom of Information Act questions, revealed that more than 1,000 jobs were lost in the first round of cuts to April, with the hardest hit areas including Scotland and the South West.

The FBU warned that the fire service will reach "breaking point" dealing with widespread incidents such as floods and wild fires.

General secretary Matt Wrack said: "Fewer fire crews means it will take longer for the fire engine to arrive in response to a 999 call. There will be ever-increasing risk to life, homes, businesses and our cultural and natural heritage as the cuts bite harder year after year.

"How does the government expect us to cope with big labour-intensive incidents with far fewer frontline fire crews? The overall pool of resources is being drained away."