HAMPSHIRE'S firefighters have landed a prestigious top score in a performance survey.

The county's fire and rescue service is one of only 11 in England to have gained top marks for the way it responds to fires and other emergencies.

It has also received good ratings for its attempts at modernising and improving, putting it in the top ten services in the country.

The scores have been announced by the Audit Commission, which conducted a detailed assessment of the service over several months last year.

There were three main areas examined: service assessment, direction of travel, and use of resources.

Hampshire scored well above the adequate levels of performance in each sector.

Positive The county's Chief Officer, John Bonney, believes the results build on a separate assessment in 2005 that awarded the service a "good" rating - the second best of four levels.

"This combination of scores and our rating in the comprehensive performance assessment places Hampshire Fire and Rescue in the top ten fire and rescue services in the country.