MEMBERS of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) have condemned attacks on firefighters as "cowardly" as new figures show incidents have increased by a quarter in the last year.

Data released by the FBU shows that this year, there have been 933 incidents in the UK involving attacks on firefighters – 194 more than the previous year.

And the union said a loss of 500 firefighting jobs means it now takes crews 30 seconds longer to reach call-outs than it did in 2010.

As bonfire night quickly approaches, regional members of the union said violence against firefighters has come to be expected.

Tony Curry, FBU Regional Secretary for the North-East, said: “At bonfire time attacks do go up, it’s a well-known fact, but attacks have definitely been on the rise locally.

“We had some attacks recently in Tyne and Wear, which resulted in firefighters in hospital.

“Firefighters go to work to protect the public, not to be attacked by the public. We totally condemn these cowardly attacks.”

In Cleveland, the surge in abuse has resulted in crews being fitted with body cameras to record those who deliberately interfere with fire safety procedures.

Reports have been made of crews being attacked with knifes, pelted with metal bars, stones, bolts, beer cans, and, on some occasions, they have been forced to withdraw from tackling fires for their own safety.

One incident last month involved a gang of youngsters attacking firefighters who were responding to a fire in Middlesbrough.

The youngsters, as young as six years old, threw missiles at the crew and tampered with equipment while others tried to start a second fire nearby.

Some tried to restrict the flow of water by standing on hoses and attempted to steal items from the fire engine.

Davy Howe, FBU Brigade Secretary for Cleveland, said similar incidents were common across the region and a rise in attacks was anticipated over bonfire weekend.

He added: “Catching the individuals can be hard as attacks are sometimes premeditated and can be done from a distance, but although we have seen a number of attacks, Cleveland has been the same as anywhere else.

“Bonfire night is always a really bad time for fire fighters. We do our best to keep the public happy and safe but there will be times when we are subjected to abuse.”

For Cleveland Fire Brigade alone, latest figures show a 60 per cent increase in attacks with more than 100 reported in the last three years.

From April 2017 to March 2018 there were 45 recorded incidents of violence.