Firefighters today claimed they are not equipped to deal with a terrorist strike and their only extra kit consists of buckets, rubber gloves and detergent.

Jim Parrott, secretary of the Fire Brigades Union in East Sussex, has written to chief fire officer Des Prichard to express the union's concern.

Mr Parrott said: "The Government is spending billions preparing for war against Iraq, yet it has shown little regard for the consequences.

"Its actions will heighten the chances of a major terrorist act in Great Britain, but it is not prepared to protect its citizens through the introduction of proper legislation and funding of the fire service.

"Buckets, rubber gloves and five litres of detergent is our enhanced equipment for a major terrorist threat. I do not believe these are adequate for our members and are of little use to the public we serve.

"Our enhanced training is to park two fire engines next to each other, have people walk through the middle and spray them.

"We have equipment for dealing with chemical or radiological incidents but these are only on a minor scale, such as chemicals being driven through Sussex or small incidents at universities or hospitals.

"We have run out of patience."

Mr Prichard insisted the brigade would be ready to tackle whatever happened.

He said: "We are not a Superman force but if we get a call for assistance we will answer it.

"We have responded to terrorist threats in the past, such as the IRA bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton.

"We have dealt with major fires, major floods, terrorist threats, chemical spillages, plane crashes, train crashes. It is only the scale or magnitude which could change.

"If there is a major incident such as a large fire, a building collapse or a bomb, it is standard procedure to bring in additional resources.

"When the Royal Albion hotel in Brighton caught fire, we called in extra help from Kent and West Sussex.

"Firefighters are adequately provided for with equipment - chemical protection suits, gas-tight suits and breathing equipment.

"Detergent might sound basic but it is an effective way of decontaminating people of some contaminants."