Troops on standby as fire strike begins in North

Troops were providing emergency fire cover across the North today as firefighters staged another strike.

Almost 2,000 Fire Brigade Union members in the North stopped work at 9am for 24 hours as part of the national campaign for more pay.

As the troops took over, operating from special centres scattered across Northern Ireland, fire officers left their stations and set up picketlines outside.

For the soldiers, manning 32 Yellow Goddesses, it was their third spell of strike cover and they face two more 48-hour strikes which have been called for January 28 and February 2.