Both sides have stood their ground

Plans to restructure the service will lead to 10,000 job losses, fire union leaders say.

Such losses would cut emergency fire cover to a dangerously low level, the Fire Brigades Union said.

The FBU says it has come to its conclusion after studying new draft guidelines sent to local authorities.

The long-running pay dispute has remained deadlocked in recent months.

The FBU says under the plans there will be fewer firefighters taking longer to answer emergency calls.

The union's president Ruth Winters warned the cuts were dressed up in the clothes of modernisation.

The employers have rejected the allegations and said the figures were inaccurate.

They pointed out the document was a consultation paper sent out by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

On Thursday, John Prescott will make a fresh statement about the dispute during the second reading of the Fire Service Bill.

Settlement hopes

The bill would give the government powers to impose a deal in a matter of weeks.

Mr Prescott still hopes a settlement can be found but time is running out and the union has threatened to call further strikes.

In March, firefighters voted to reject a 16% pay rise offer linked to a modernisation package which would have ended their long-running dispute.

The rejection came in spite of a recommendation by union leaders to accept the offer.

In February, a controversial review of the fire service recommended an 11% rise in firefighters' pay over two years coupled with radical modernisation of their working practices.

The inquiry, chaired by Sir George Bain, said there was the opportunity to greatly improve the UK's fire service and save brigades millions of pounds.