Firefighters in England and Wales are staging a fresh strike in their long-running dispute with the Government over pensions.
Members of the Fire Brigades Union walked out at 6.30am - the ninth stoppage since September.
But under the terms of an agreement between the FBU, central government and fire services, strikers will return to work if there is a major emergency which might lead to large numbers of people being put at serious risk.
Firefighters in Kent and Surrey worked during a strike on Christmas Eve because of storm-related floods and damage.