DISGRACEFUL and unacceptable physical assaults on firefighters and verbal abuse directed against control room staff must end, Fire Brigades Union (FBU) members demanded today.

Delegates gathered in Blackpool for the union’s 2023 conference unanimously backed a resolution which demanded more research into the worsening problem and a national campaign to protect key workers in the emergency service.

Attacks are at an all-time high, with almost one thousand firefighters now having suffered assaults while attending incidents, according to the latest Home Office figures.