FIREFIGHTERS were called to six incidents during a 12-hour strike which ended early this morning.

Fire Brigade Union members walked out at 2pm yesterday following a dispute over pay and conditions.

This strike ended at 2am today and they are due to walk out again at 10am for five hours.

Oxfordshire County Council has been providing cover with a mixture of non-striking firefighters and on-call volunteers.

The six incidents included two false alarms triggered by cooking fumes at Singletree sheltered housing in Rose Hill, Oxford and at the Betjeman Court sheltered housing complex in Wantage.

Firefighters also went to Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital to be on hand to help a child who had been airlifted there after an incident involving a railing in Hungerford, Berkshire, but no action was required.

The others were a false alarm caused by smoke from birthday candles at New Beveridge House in Oxford, a small fire involving newspaper at the rear of some flats in Bretch Hill, Banbury and a false alarm due to controlled burning at Field Farm, Witney Road, Crawley.