MORALE is at an all-time low among staff at West Midlands Fire Service, according to the results of a recent staff survey.

Two hundred employees were asked to complete the questionnaire, which highlighted concerns about unworkable shift patterns and being left in the dark by management.

Chief Fire Officer Frank Sheehan said he was saddened by the results of the survey - in which 90 per cent of staff said workplace morale was low-and promised to tackle the issues raised head on.

Mr Sheehan said: "It has been a very, very difficult year for the fire service and everyone working in it.

"We have made extensive changes to systems which had been in place for 30 years as part of the modernisation, and such drastic change is always unsettling.

"Those changes did not go as smoothly as we would have liked and I apologise to the staff for that."

Mr Sheehan added: "The survey has highlighted various issues including poor communication, childcare and other problems relating to the changed shifts. We will address these head on."

The service, which employs 2,000 people, is establishing a working group to try and boost morale.