FIREFIGHTERS from Hereford and Worcester lobbied Parliament in a bid to settle the on-going pay dispute.

Around two dozen members of the Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade travelled to London yesterday as negotiations were thrashed out between the Fire Brigades' Union (FBU) and Government.

The stage is now set for a further 24-hour walk-out from 6pm on Thursday, March 20, if agreed at the FBU conference next week.

Hereford and Worcester branch secretary Steve Laugher travelled with more than 20 firefighters from across the brigade to show their support for the FBU leader's demands for a better pay offer.

Local authorities had offered the FBU a 16 per cent increase to go hand-in-hand with plans for modernisation.

"We posed a number of questions but the answers were still the same," said Mr Laugher.

"It's not just about the pay offer but also modernisation. We can't agree to their plans and the public won't like them either.

"People won't be consulted, which I think is a very dangerous situation to be in. The public won't have a say in their fire service."

He said the planned strike, which will not be confirmed until Wednesday, March 19, was not an attempt to disrupt the military, which is facing impending war in Iraq.

"This has been going on for a long time and the Government has been stalling,"explained Mr Laugher.

"What the public has got to realise is that we have been responsible. We've cancelled 28 to 30 strike days out of 40 to 42, based on the fact we were told negotiations were constructive.

"These are separate issues that have been going on a long time."