Firefighters in Oxfordshire have called for a leading county councillor to resign from a key post as tension mounts over pay talks.

More than 550 firefighters are being balloted for industrial action after national pay talks broke down earlier this month.

Leaders of the Fire Brigades Union in Oxfordshire and local authority employers have failed to sign a proposal to pay the final two stages of the £25,000-a-year pay deal which ended the bitter strikes of 2002 and 2003.

Barry Stockford, branch secretary of the county's FBU, which represents the vast majority of 550 full-time and retained firefighters, called for John Farrow, executive member for community safety, to resign from his executive board post.

Mr Farrow represented the Local Government Association on August 2 in national pay negotiations with the FBU but branch leaders in Oxfordshire are not happy with his contribution.

Mr Stockford said: "We are angry and disappointed with the stance he took during negotiations."

Andy Middleton, FBU branch chairman, based at The Slade in Headington, said: "John Farrow assisted in the destruction of an agreement that had been negotiated and our members want him out." Mr Farrow denied that he contributed to the breakdown of pay talks, saying: "If they are suggesting I did not want a settlement that is totally incorrect."

The FBU does not expect the result of the ballot until the end of the month.

"No-one wants to go down the route to industrial action but we feel like we are being forced down that avenue."

He added: "

"He and his colleagues should stop talking tough because it is discouraging people from getting back round the negotiating table to avoid strike action."

Mr Stockford is due back from his holiday today.

Mr Farrow said the only sticking point remaining between employers and firefighters was working conditions on Bank Holidays but the FBU denies that this is the case.

Firefighters would have received a 3.5 per cent pay rise outstanding since last November and 4.2 per cent from July 1 but John Parry, Oxfordshire's chief fire officer, warned yesterday that the 3.5 per cent rise was now at risk.

He said: "The way to sort out this problem is to go back to the negotiating table.

"The two sides were so close to coming to an agreement in May this year when they worked out a formula on stand-down time that was acceptable to them both.

"To vote for industrial action now will jeopardise the outstanding 3.5 per cent pay rise, backdated to November 2003."

Mr Middleton added: "Some members are suggesting unofficial action, which we don't condone, because they are owed about £700 in pay backdated to November.

"They are doing the work, including training for terrorism incidents, but they are not being paid for it."