Firefighters in Wiltshire have announced plans to strike on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

The Fire Brigades’ Union (FBU) has been coordinating a series of nationwide strikes as part of an on-going dispute with the government over pay and pensions.

Industrial action will take place from 7pm to midnight on Christmas Eve and from 6.30pm to 12.30am on New Year’s Eve. A further two-hour strike will then take place on January 3.

The strike is likely to affect all the full-time fire stations in the county, including Chippenham, and many of the part-time stations, such as Pewsey and Calne.

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.”