As the armed forces prepare to cover the firefighters strike, West Midlands Police have warned hoax callers and arsonists they face tough action if caught.

The chief fire officer for the region has also called on courts to issue harsh punishments to people caught deliberately stretching the resources of the emergency fire crews.

At a news conference on Wednesday, the emergency services and armed forces gave details of the fire cover which will be provided during the strike.

They said calls would be prioritised by threat to life which could mean some fires are left to burn themselves out.

Mr Blewitt said police would prosecute hoaxers

Chief Fire Officer Ken Knight said: "We will assess all calls which come in and try to identify hoax calls early.

"But we're looking to the courts and the police to take strong action against arsonists and hoax callers."

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Blewitt warned of the dangers of stretching the thin resources of the emergency crews.

He said: "We'll take hoax calls very seriously and we will charge offenders and put them before the courts.

"If someone calls maliciously and this takes a Green Goddess away from a real fire, the consequences could be fatal."

'Risks assessed'

During the strike, crews will not routinely attend incidents where fire alarms have been activated.

Mr Knight confirmed that a 999 call must be made before the crews will be released.

He said: "We will not be able to respond to all 999 calls and our response will be based on assessment of the risk to life.

"For example, if a skip was on fire we would normally send a crew, but during the strike the chances are that with no risk to life, we would simply have to let the skip burn itself out."

Fourteen temporary fire stations, mainly based at Territorial Army centres, have been set up in the West Midlands to cover the strike which begins at 1800 GMT on Wednesday.