FIRE crews returned to duty early this morning (Wednesday, January 1) following industrial action.

Fire fighters across the country took part in a strike from 6.30pm on New Year’s Eve until 12.30am on January 1.

The strike, led by the Fire Brigades Union, relates to an on-going national dispute over pension scheme proposals and was the eighth period of industrial action concerning the issue.

During the six hour period, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said it continued to respond to emergencies and attended nine incidents, including a crash on the A19 at Seaham Grange, a loose horse in West Auckland, rubbish fires in Darlington and Chester-le-Street and a false alarm at Frankland Prison, Durham.

Stuart Errington, deputy chief fire officer, said: “Our resilience plans have worked well and we coped with a diverse range of emergency incidents.

"I would like to thank people for taking extra care, especially as this strike coincided with New Year’s Eve when many people would have been celebrating and safety may not necessarily have been their number one priority.

“During this most recent period of industrial action, as during the seven previous strikes since September, we were able to provide people in County Durham and Darlington borough with a professional response.”

Another strike is set to take place on Friday, January 3 from 6.30am until 8.30am.