FIRE brigade bosses in Teesside said they were disappointed after being rated only 'fair' in a Government inspection.

The assessment by a team from the Audit Commission was based on how well they felt Cleveland Fire Authority was being run.

The fire authority is one of 47 in England scored by the commission, with ratings running from 'excellent' to 'poor'.

Auditors found that the force was doing well in some areas, including community safety initiatives which had led to a reduction in injuries from accidental fires and arson.

However, the assessment criticised the authority for being slow to allocate resources in line with risk, resulting in it having the highest cost per head in the country.

Cleveland Fire Authority chairman Robbie Payne said the high cost of running the authority was due to "the high concentration of risk within the Cleveland area and one of the highest rates of social deprivation in the country".

He said: "These are factors we have no control over, but our plans for the future will build on the successes we have already achieved."

The assessment, carried out earlier this year, is only at corporate level and does not consider how well the fire service responds to emergency incidents.

Ian Hayton, executive director at Cleveland Fire Brigade, said: "We are delighted that the first comprehensive performance assessment inspection recognises the work we are doing towards this aim, but disappointed in the overall score, which does not recognise the improvement in services we deliver. Nor does it reflect the commitment, dedication and hard work of staff."

He said the fire authority had made significant improvements in recent years, including a 70 per cent reduction in fire injuries on Teesside since 2002.