FIREFIGHTERS at one of the region's airports say their new shift system is compromising health and safety.

A letter was sent by the Durham and Tees Valley Airport fire crew to The Northern Echo claiming the new rota of working 24 hours on, 48 off, contravened European laws.

They said the system was dangerous, and have copied their letter to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The fire crew said the shift pattern was damaging to the firefighters' long-term health, compromising response times, contravening worktime directives, leaving fire station facilities unable to cope with extra staff and leads to firefighters taking on baggage handling roles at night

But, airport managing director Hugh Lang said the rota had been agreed with the firefighters' union.

"It really is difficult to give any credence to the claims by the anonymous letter writer since the new working arrangements we have recently introduced were actually proposed by the fire crews themselves and agreed with their union, the GMB," he said. "It is nonsense to suggest that safety standards are being compromised in any way.

"Both the airport and the trade union have consulted with the Health and Safety Executive on the shift structure and the HSE has raised no concerns.

"In the case of the fire service, we have actually created six additional posts and all the evidence we have is that the vast majority of the staff actually find the new arrangements beneficial."

The CAA said it would be talking to the airport's safety managers about the claims. The HSE said when the letter arrived it would investigated.

The GMB and firefighters were not available for comment.