South Yorkshire fire service cuts 40 support staff jobs

Nearly a fifth of support staff posts at South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (SYFRS) are to be cut.

The fire service said 40 of its 227-strong support staff would be made redundant by November to minimise the impact of government spending cuts.

The fire service must save £12m over the next four years.

SYFRS said no firefighters or control room posts were being lost and it was hoped the posts would be lost through voluntary redundancies.

Some of the posts are already vacant and will not be filled again.

The fire service is currently operating with a budget of £56m.