PLANS to replace firefighters with police officers if pay strikes go ahead have been thwarted.

Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir John Stevens has told the Home Office he will ban officers from fighting fires as he could face prosecution if any were hurt.

Kent Police insists its officers will simply be there to back up the armed forces if they are called in to act as replacement firefighters.

A spokesman for Kent police said: "We will offer the armed forces the same level of support we often provide the fire service with."

There are 33,000 firefighters in England and Wales. Members of the Fire Brigades Union are seeking a near 40 per cent pay rise after rejecting a four per cent offer. Ballot papers will be sent out by Friday and if more than 51 per cent of firefighters vote for industrial action, then the strikes could be in place by October 24.

An independent review of the fire service, aimed at averting a pay strike by firefighters, will not report until the end of the year - months after a ballot for industrial action ends.

Sir George Bain, who was appointed by the Government to carry out the review, said he had already started work and aimed to produce a full report by the middle of December. The FBU reiterated its refusal to take part in the review, denouncing it as a "meaningless distraction" from the pay dispute.