A soldier providing cover during the fire strikes could face a spell in military prison after making two hoax 999 calls to his own unit.

The serviceman, who has not been named, was stationed in the temporary fire station in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, during the walkout last weekend.

The hoax calls sent his colleagues rushing to a non-existent blaze in Newton Aycliffe only an hour before the 48-hour strike ended on Monday morning.

Police traced the calls to the soldier's mobile phone.

The 40th Regiment of the Royal Artillery, of which he is a member, has been covering the whole of the county during firefighters' strike action.

An Army spokesman said last night: "During the last hour of the strike two hoax calls were made about the incident, which we identified as a hoax.

"Police traced the calls to his mobile phone.

"It is a highly unusual incident. It is something we will also view very seriously.

"The police have now given us jurisdiction to deal with the matter.

"He is more likely to be dealt with very severely by the military than by a civilian court."

The spokesman added that the serviceman could be fined or sentenced to a spell in military prison.

He will face his commanding officer on Monday or Tuesday to be disciplined.

"It could go to either end of the spectrum," said the spokesman.

"Any offence is initially dealt with by a soldier's unit. In this case it has been agreed he is on a charge in front of his commanding officer.

"Hoax calls generally are a concern and they have been a concern during all of the fire strikes, but the number has reduced quite considerably since the first strikes."

A spokesman for Durham Police confirmed that the military was now dealing with the matter.