Firefighters were continuing industrial action on Friday following crisis talks.

Fire Brigades\ Union representatives were in conference with Essex County Fire and Rescue Service management on Thursday but there was no breakthrough.

Essex union members are responding to 999 calls only after disciplinary action was taken against two colleagues.

Andy Hull, Essex FBU chairman, said on Friday: "The industrial action is still on although we had constructive talks yesterday.

"We were hoping management would turn around and see the light but they have not yet, although it was a positive meeting."

In a statement at the start of the industrial action at 6pm on Wednesday a brigade spokeswoman said the move was "astonishing" and "illegal".

She said: "The Fire Service Discipline Regulations 1985 already provide an agreed means to determine whether charges are justified and to use industrial action to seek to influence these is entirely inappropriate."

Neither have explained the reasons for the disciplinary charges but the FBU sais it was a long-running matter and regulations are being used wrongly.

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