Nature scored where man failed to cut the number of 999 calls to Wiltshire firefighters this summer.

Although the total number of incidents dealt with by the brigade were well down in June and July, senior officers say they take no credit.

Wiltshire and Swindon fire authority was told that in the same months last year fire crews were called out 1,700 times.

This year the total was 1,595 and fire officer Paul Fuller told members they should thank the summer rain.

He said: "It was substantially quieter during this period than at the same time last year. We are showing a good reduction in the number of unwanted fire alarms. But that is unlikely to be as a result of our activities. It was quite a wet summer."

The number of false alarms tumbled from 845 to 783.