East Sussex firefighters have been supplied with rubber gloves, buckets and detergent to deal with a major terrorist strike, say union leaders.

With the nation on high alert, members of the Fire Brigades Union in the county fear they are not prepared for an attack.

Brigade secretary Jim Parrott has written to chief fire officer Des Prichard to express his concerns.

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

"Their actions will heighten the chances of a major terrorist act in Great Britain but they are not prepared to protect their 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 happens.

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.

"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."

He added: "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."