The number of firefighters covering the Vale of White Horse is to be boosted by the addition of two firefighters apiece at Abingdon and Didcot.

The four recruits - costing Oxfordshire County Council £110,000 - are needed so that both stations can meet new Government guidelines on safety standards.

The Home Office recommends that the first fire engine to arrive at an incident should have a crew of five, and brigades have been set a target of 75 per-cent compliance.

Latest figures show that between March and April this year the number of incidents attended by a crew of five from Abingdon was 36 per cent and 32 per cent from Didcot.

The county's public protection committee has said that in addition to improving safety cover the additional fire fighters will help reduce stress levels among existing crews.

Station Officer Steve Harrison at Abingdon said: "This is excellent news. It will mean that we will be able to work much better and the extra people will enable us to become more efficient."

But Abingdon and Didcot station will have to wait until next year before the new recruits come on stream. At the moment there are 12 full-time and 12 part-time firefighters at both Abingdon and Didcot.

Acknowledging the high cost of homes in Oxfordshire, the fire service is looking into paying a salary supplement for new staff to help them afford suitable accomodation near the fire stations the two South Oxfordshire towns.