TORY ministers must introduce legislation to ensure that firefighters with cancer and other diseases linked to their work can receive compensation, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) demanded today.

The call came on Firefighters’ Memorial Day, which saw workers across the essential emergency service line up outside fire stations and observe a minute’s silence at midday.

More than 2,000 firefighters have died in the line of duty, but if the total included all those killed by the serious health conditions their work exposes them to, the number would be far higher, the union said.