GREEN Goddess fire engines could return to the streets of Swindon for the first time in 25 years if the town's firefighters go on strike.

Disagreements over pay have angered the Fire Brigade Union, which is demanding a 40 per cent increase in the basic wage to take the average annual salary up to £30,000.

The South West regional chairman for the FBU, Phil Jordan, 38, said: "We want pay, not praise and we want to see the pay realigned with professional status. The employers have failed to come forward with any meaningful offers."

There is due to be a full meeting of the National Joint Council for local fire brigades early in September.

But Mr Jordan said: "I am not holding my breath about that."

On September 12 a delegation from Wiltshire will attend a conference in Manchester where the FBU's executive council will recommend voting for strike action.

Eugene Johnson, assistant chief fire officer at Wiltshire Fire Brigade, said: "Nobody knows what the outcome of the September 12 conference will be. It would be wrong to speculate on any industrial action at this stage."

If a ballot is called and approved, strike action would happen in mid-October. Alternative emergency arrangements would then need to be employed, which could see the return of the Army's standby engines, the Green Goddesses.

Swindon Council spokeswoman Lynda Fleming said: "Once a decision is made about the timing of the strike we will be meeting with the emergency agencies to decide the best strategy."

Wiltshire County Council spokesman Adam Butcher said: "We will do anything we can to assist the emergency services. If needs be we will be on hand with bacon butties and cups of tea."

The last strike started on November 14, 1977, and lasted nine weeks.