Firefighters warn of three-day strike

FIREFIGHTERS will go on strike again this weekend in a long standing dispute with the Government over pensions.

Fire Brigades Union members in Rotherham will join their colleagues nationally in walking out on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

A fire service spokesman said South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue would be providing a basic level of firefighting cover during the strike periods, but warned that its 999 response service would be “severely depleted”.

Neil Carbutt, brigade secretary South Yorkshire FBU, said: “We have been involved in talks around pensions issues for nearly three years now and I would like to reassure the public of South Yorkshire that no firefighter or control operator takes the decision to strike lightly.

“This is a very serious step, but ultimately is as a result of the failure of government to produce revised proposals.”

Chief Fire Officer James Courtney urged people to ensure they had working smoke alarms and still call 999 in case of an emergency.