Final day of fire dispute

Strikers have one more day on the picket lines

Striking firefighters are preparing for the final 24 hours of their eight-day stoppage in support of a 40% pay claim.

The last day of the current strike comes after they were able to voice their anger directly to Tony Blair when he visited Cardiff on Thursday.

Firefighters have stayed on the picket lines

The prime minister, who delivered a keynote speech on the future of Europe, acknowledged the striker's noisy protests by defending the government's policy on the dispute.

He said Labour had to govern for the whole country and would not flinch from difficult decisions.

Mr Blair's visit was an unexpected diversion for firefighters who have continued to picket their own fire stations as military crews provide a stand-in fire service.

Picketers at Cardiff's central fire station marched the short distance to the city's Marriott Hotel ready for the prime minister's arrival.

The march was portrayed a mock funeral procession through the centre of the city - led by an "undertaker" in a Tony Blair mask.

Tony Blair was making a keynote speech on Europe

The march was for what they said would be the death of the fire service under the modernisation reforms the government wants to introduce.

The Cardiff firefighters were joined by colleagues from Avon, Gloucestershire and London, with around 250 people in the largest protest, outside the Old Library, where Mr Blair delivered his speech.

Firefighters across Wales - with one exception - have continued their informal policy of abandoning their picket lines to help with life-threatening emergencies.

The firefighters' picket in Newtown, Powys, was called off as a mark of respect for 76-year-old Violet Davies who died just an hour after the start of the first stoppage on 13 November.

Crash

The most serious incident of the current stoppage was last Saturday when two people were killed in an accident on the M4 at Port Talbot shortly before 0820 GMT.

Firefighters in Port Talbot and Morriston assisted in the rescue of two other people in the crash as well as the recovery of the two bodies.

The stand-in fire service provided by military crews using Green and Red Goddesses has dealt with more than 250 fires and road accidents in the past seven days.

In addition, they have been called out to a number of floods in mid and south Wales.