FIRE service chiefs say they attended more than 20 incidents in County Durham and Darlington during the latest firefighters strike.

Over the 24-hour stoppage by members of the Fire Brigades Union, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service say they attended 22 incidents, including eight fires.

They also attended two weather-related incidents. At Thinford, near Spennymoor, the service dealt with a road sign which had become loose in strong winds, while a man had to be rescued from his car in Westgate, near Stanhope, after being washed into a river.

Professional firefighters were used to respond to all incidents.

Stuart Errington, deputy chief fire officer for Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The resilience plans we had in place ensured that during this latest 24-hour period of industrial action we were able to provide people in County Durham and Darlington with a professional emergency response.

“The service is back to normal today, however we would urge people to continue to take extra care in the run up to Christmas; at this time of year the risks of fire in the home can increase as people spend more time in the kitchen, the room where figures show that 60 per cent of domestic fires start.

“As always we would urge people to make sure they have smoke alarms on every level of their property and test them weekly by pushing the button on the device.”