Report claims firefighters were let down by defective radios

NEW YORK'S firefighters were hindered in their response to the attack last September on the World Trade Centre, by a series of failures.

While acting bravely, the firefighters were plagued by problems in radio communication, lapses in discipline and a lack of coordinated efforts with the police, according to a draft report by an independent consultant.

The report says faulty radio equipment prevented those on the upper floors of the twin towers from heeding an evacuation order, half an hour before the first tower collapsed.