FIREFIGHTER leaders are calling for a moratorium on cuts after 15 years of “unprecedented” austerity.

The Fire Brigades Union wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling on politicians to guarantee sustainable levels of funding and to embark on a programme of investment.

The union said it has had to fight cuts to every brigade in the country over the last decade, the latest just last week in East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.

Proposed cuts will slash the number of fire engines by ten and cut dozens of firefighters from stations.

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: “The crucial value of investing in public services has never been more apparent than during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We cannot return to the failed politics of slashing services and then expecting them to spring into action when a crisis comes around.

“Brigades have been gutted by a decade of austerity, but firefighters have nonetheless taken extraordinary steps to help the fight against coronavirus.

“They cannot be thanked with further cuts.

“The Prime Minister has joined the public in applauding key workers each Thursday.

“It would be unthinkable for him to turn around and allow the slashing of fire services to continue.”