Firefighters have announced a second strike to take place next Saturday (19) amid a row over pensions.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said the five-hour strike will take place from 6.30pm to 11.30pm.

It follows a nationwide strike on September 25 with crews stopping working from midday to 4pm.

In London, a contingency service of 27 pumps was left to respond to 84 calls received during the four hours, which included three fires and three road traffic collisions.

The dispute involves the government planning to make firefighters work up to age 60 but the FBU argue the late-50s is too old to be fighting fires and rescuing families.

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: “We had hoped our first strike was enough to show government that firefighters could not be more serious about protecting public safety and ensuring fair pensions.

“We hope this second strike will mean both governments will be willing to discuss the full range of concerns that firefighters and the general public have expressed.

“However, more strikes cannot be ruled out if that’s what it takes to protect public and firefighter safety from these ludicrous attacks.”