A PIGEON'S nest is believed to have caused a fire in a chimney at the Lygon Arms Hotel in Broadway on Monday.

Firefighters from Broadway Fire Station under station manager Tim Crump were called to the hotel to deal with the incident.

"We had enough retained firefighters available to make up a crew, which is not always the case in Broadway," said fire brigade spokesman Alec Mackie.

"We have been asked for example why firefighters from Evesham had to turn out to deal with the burning post office van in Broadway High Street last month and the reason was there were just not enough Broadway firefighters available in the village at that particular time."

Mr Mackie said they were struggling to provide cover at times in Broadway and were launching an appeal for more people to come forward to train as part-time firefighters.

"We need people who are available in the daytime and can get to Broadway fire station quickly," Mr Mackie said. "They also need to have employers able to give them the necessary time off to do the job."

He said volunteers would be given all the necessary training to become part-time firefighters who would be paid.

"Broadway is a busy village," he said, "and the firefighters have to deal with road traffic accidents and other incidents as well as fires, so it is an interesting job."

Station manager Crump has 11 firefighters on strength currently, but not all of them are available around the clock. For details about becoming a retained firefighter contact the personnel department on 01905 24454.