FIREFIGHTERS' leaders last night said they wanted to resume peace talks tomorrow, in a bid to stop further strike action.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) asked conciliation service Acas to arrange fresh negotiations ahead of two 48-hour stoppages due to begin on January 28 and February 1.

But employers made it clear that FBU leaders must agree with the recommendations of the Bain report into the fire service, which the union claims will lead to 4,500 job cuts and 150 fire station closures.

Across the region, armed forces stand-in crews were relatively quiet during the latest 24-hour walkout, which ends at 9am today.

There about 30 incidents in the North-East and North Yorkshire, including an empty house fire in Gateshead.

A North-East Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We have had no major life threatening-incidents in the region, which we have got to be thankful for."

Yesterday a senior Conservative spokesman sparked a furious row when he described FBU leaders as "a bunch of idiots".

Shadow Defence Secretary Bernard Jenkin said: "The FBU leaders are ignoring the disruption they are causing to the forces' preparation for action in the Gulf."

FBU General Secretary Andy Gilchrist demanded that he apologise or be sacked - feelings echoed by North Yorkshire firefighter Nigel Phillips, last night. "It seems the majority of people don't want to see troops in the Middle East anyway," he said.

Mr Gilchrist said in his letter to Acas that the union and the employers had clear agendas on pay and modernisation. "The FBU would hope that any negotiation could begin sooner rather than later," he said.

An elderly man became the first person to die in a fire during the latest dispute after his body was found in a house in Glasgow.