Members of the Fire Brigades Union will be on strike today 10am and 2pm.

A spokesman for the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said: "Working firefighters will be providing an emergency response from strategic locations throughout the County, so you should continue to dial 999 and ECFRS will respond.

"ECFRS has strong resilience arrangements in place to ensure fire cover is maintained during the four hour strike. But the public can play a part in keeping risk to a minimum by Being Safer, Slower and Vigilant. Anything we can do to reduce the number of non emergency calls during periods of reduced cover will assist us in ensuring our services are directed to those areas where they are needed most.

I"n advance of the strike, families are being urged to check their smoke alarms. Keep an eye on any vulnerable neighbours, friends and family and help them to stay fire safe. If you’re out on the roads, allow extra time for your journey and drive to arrive.

"All businesses should remember to follow up automatic fire alarm alerts with a phone call."