Firefighters have been targeted with verbal abuse and threats while attempting to help the public.

Officials from the Fire Brigades' Union (FBU) said the numbers of attacks on fire crews in Sussex was growing and warned something had to be done.

Jim Parrott, South East secretary of the FBU, said: "Our job is to help people but we are increasingly being treated as authority figures people want to react against.

"You would be hard pushed to find any firefighter in Sussex who has not had to deal with someone being aggressive and abusive to them while they are responding to a call."

Statistics in a report published this week show 15 incidents of abuse had been reported in Sussex since 2005 and union representatives have estimated dozens more have gone unrecorded.

Mr Parrott said extensive reporting of attacks on crews had not been particularly encouraged in the region but in other areas the number of incidents have reached hundreds.

In Greater Manchester 240 attacks were recorded in 2006-07.

Mr Parrott said: "A lot of the problems happen on a Friday or Saturday night when people have had a few drinks and are being aggressive towards anyone that comes into their sight, especially if they are in uniform."

He said Brighton beach had been a trouble spot late at night when clubbers built bonfires and refused to put them out. Mr Parrott said: "We are occasionally asked to go to support the police and put the fires out, which doesn't usually go down well with the people there."

Elsewhere in the country there have been reports of firefighters being spat at, stabbed and having bricks thrown at them.

Mr Parrott said he had been on an emergency call in Peacehaven when part of a breeze block had been thrown at the fire engine.

He said: "It is a real concern for us. We are particularly worried at the increasing amount of work we are being asked to do in conjunction with the police. We want to be seen by the public as a rescue service there to help them, not as an authority which will prosecute them."

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