Brighton and Hove fire crews return to work after strike

Fire crews in Brighton and Hove have returned to work after going on strike today in a dispute over their pensions.

Firefighters walked out at noon. They set up picket lines outside Preston Circus Fire Station and Roedean Fire Station in Brighton. They also set up a picket line in English Close, by the corner of Old Shoreham Road, by Hove Fire Station.

They were joined by dozens of supporters.

At Preston Circus the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) national secretary Matt Wrack rallied his members and Caroline Lucas, the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, went along to show her support.

Simon Herbert, the chairman of the East Sussex branch of the FBU, said: “This was a warning shot to the government.

“Hopefully they will now get back round the table and discuss a way forward. We want to work out a way round this.”

He said that the strike had had 100 per cent support but that members wanted to get back to their job of serving and protecting the public.

Fire crews returned to work at 4pm without the contingency cover arranged by East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service having been tested in Brighton and Hove.

Just before they went back, West Sussex Fire and Rescue asked for help dealing with a bus which had caught fire on the A23 at Pyecombe.

The situation was reported to be under control shortly after 5pm although traffic was building up with one lane closed on the southbound side of the road.

The driver and the sole passenger managed to escape from the bus uninjured. The fire was blamed on an engine fault.