A DIRTY tricks row has broken out on the eve of a ballot that could see North-East firefighters striking over controversial control room plans.

More than 400 firefighters are due to vote on industrial action over plans to consolidate all emergency services in one £5m control centre.

Cleveland firefighters are resisting the move. They claim the control centre, in Ladgate Lane, Middlesbrough, would endanger lives by putting all the emergency services eggs in one basket.

Their fears were heightened last week when a power failure at the centre - already shared by Cleveland Police and the ambulance service - led to a 12-hour calls crisis.

The row has rumbled on for more than two years with both sides insisting they are in the right.

Now, a mystery memo is threatening to bring the dispute to boiling point.

The letter - copies of which have sprung up on notice boards in fire stations across Teesside - purports to be from a senior Labour member of the fire authority.

It is supposed to be for distribution to "the Labour Group" and says the case of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) for not sharing a control room with the other two 999 services, is not deserving of support.

It claims fire control staff do not want to share with their police and ambulance colleagues because they are on 50 per cent higher pay than the others, yet do not handle their "astronomical" workload.

The letter says: "In that instance, wouldn't you want to be shielded and separated from operators who are dealing with hundreds of calls and incidents."

However, Labour Party officials have denied any knowledge of the document and denounced it as a fake. They are threatening to take legal action unless it is removed immediately.

Councillor John Jones, a senior member of the executive of the Cleveland Fire Authority, said: "I don't mind standing up and being counted for anything I have done, but I have not contacted anybody on this in any shape or form.

"To have something like this happen is very upsetting."

Fire Brigades Union spokes-man Alan Blacklee said any suggestions that the union fabricated the letter would be answered in court.

Mr Blacklee said the letter betrays inside knowledge of the workings of the fire authority.

He said: "If they are suggesting we wrote the letter, we will see them in court. We don't need to resort to dirty tactics."

However, he added: "If it is a forgery, I would not condone that action.