Storm over fire vehicles going up in flames...

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue ordered four Combined Aerial Rescue Platforms (CARPs) more than five years ago, each machine costing £500,000, but they immediately hit problems.

The vehicles, which combine conventional fire engines with high-reach ladders, were originally too heavy for use on British roads, needed £700,000 of modifications, and suffered more mechanical defects when they finally hit the streets in April this year.

The Fire Brigade Union branch secretary in South Yorkshire, John Gilliver, told the Yorkshire Post that CARPs had caught fire three times, fire crews having to call two other appliances to put out the flames on one occasion.

He added: “Those appliances may have been needed elsewhere, but they were putting out a fire on another faulty appliance.

“The confidence that the firefighters have in this equipment is zero, but they are our main cover for high-rise buildings and major incidents. They are the machines from hell.”

A fire service spokesman admitted the brigade had “experienced a number of operational issues”.

The spokesman added: “We are currently investigating three incidents which occurred in the past week.

“Our investigations into the issues since April show that some have been mechanical faults, and some were operator error.

“We are concerned about these issues and are working tirelessly to address them.

“CARPs are immediately available upon first arrival at an incident, unlike the old aerial platforms, and provide £1m per year in savings.”