FIVE firemen were arrested today in a police probe into allegations that firefighters made hoax calls and started blazes to increase their wages.

The part-time firemen - all based at Horwich Fire Station - were arrested after detectives swooped on their homes and workplaces following a five month investigation.

The five - all retained firemen at Horwich - were being detained at Astley Bridge Police Station and questioned about fraud allegations.

The police operation, codenamed Fenwick, was mounted after officers were called in by Greater Manchester Fire Brigade chiefs.

The police investigation centred on part-time firemen based at Horwich who are on duty for 999 call-outs at nights and at the weekends. For each call-out, a firefighter gets about £10 - awarded on top of their £1,772 a year retainer.

The arrests come in the wake of months of unrest at the fire station over the way it is manned.

The station is manned by seven full-time firefighters and 12 part-timers. Incidents have doubled in Horwich over the 15 years the station has been open, and it now handles just under 900 call outs a year.

Union leaders, who believe the station should have more full-time firefighters, today confirmed they had been told of the five arrests.

But fire brigade chiefs have stressed that special plans will be adopted to ensure emergency cover in Horwich is not affected.

County Fire Officer George Almond said: "This is a very serious matter and if found guilty they will be summarily dismissed. "Meanwhile, I would like to assure the people of Horwich that contingency plans have been put in place to ensure that they have adequate fire cover overnight and at weekends."

And Cllr Fred Walker, chairman of the Fire Authority, said the Brigade had done "everything in its power" to investigate the allegations.

He added: "These arrests will come as a shock to the people of Horwich who have always had the greatest admiration for their firefighters.

"We currently have a recruitment drive in the area and hope that this will not deter applicants. The retained firefighters at Horwich are an important element of the fire cover for the Horwich area and will continue to remain so."

As part of the police investigation detectives examined records of fires over the last three years. Every fireman based at the Horwich Fire Station was interviewed by the police team before today's raids.

Detective Superintendent Mick Gorrill told the BEN that the operation was "still ongoing". Only last year the BEN reported how fire brigade services in the Horwich area where stretched to the limit by an unprecedented spate of late night arson attacks.

Dozens of fires were reported in a few weeks in derelict mills, and rubbish skips, throughout the Horwich area. No one was injured in any of the fires which always occured at premises which were empty at the time.

Firemen based in Horwich - with back up from other Bolton stations - cover a large area which includes the Bolton Wanderers Reebok Stadium and the Middlebrook complex in addition to Rivington Moor and part of the M61.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.