Essex firefighters vote to strike

Fire crews in Essex have voted by two-to-one to strike against frontline cuts and changes to their conditions.

Current plans would mean that one in five frontline fire crews in Essex had been cut since 2008.

Mick Rogers from the Fire Brigades Union said, “The result explodes the myth peddled to councillors that fire crews have no genuine concerns.”

The union has called for talks to resolve the dispute. It has demanded a response from fire bosses by Wednesday of this week.