Britain relies on retained (part-time) fire-fighters across 60% of the UK - and a threatened new EU directive is putting them under threat.

Retained fire-fighters usually have other jobs outside the fire service and then spend up to 120 hours a week on call, but these hours could count under the 48 hour limit on working hours in a planned EU directive.

Until now, the Government has rightly fought to secure an opt-out or exemption from the EU directive, but the European Parliament has voted to take that right away. The effects on our fire service could be very serious, and in some areas quite devastating.

People from across the UK have been backing a Liberal Democrat petition at asking the Government to keep an opt-out and allow retained fire-fighters to continue their current arrangements.