MEMBERS of the Fire Brigades' Union will walk out tonight (December 24) for the seventh time in three months in an ongoing row over pay and pensions.

The strike, which will run from 7pm to midnight, has prompted a warning from fire chiefs who are urging residents to take extra care during celebrations tonight.

The union has already called six strikes since September in protest at changes to pensions and retirement age. Further strikes are planned on New Year’s Eve and January 3.

FBU General Secretary, Matt Wrack, said: “Firefighters provide a first-class standard of service 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, and these strikes will remind government just how reliant they are on our members’ professionalism, commitment and flexibility.

“However, there should be no need for industrial action, and it’s absurd that firefighters’ concerns over pensions have not been addressed already.

“The government must stop claiming they are negotiating when they have refused to talk for two months and insist on forcing through proposals that are unaffordable, unworkable and unfair.

“By simply conceding common sense and allowing firefighters a fair deal, the government could end this industrial action today.”