HAMPSHIRE fire chiefs are today counting the cost of lodging a crucial appeal eight months too late.

Mr Justice Silber gave his reasons why he'd turned down Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service's last-ditch appeal to have four firefighters sacked.

He said brigade bosses should have launched their challenge to the decision of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister within three months - not eight months after the deadline.

It was last summer that John Prescott ruled that the men should never have been ousted in the first place, but county fire bosses refused to allow them back to work.

The High Court judge added that the four Basingstoke firefighters, sacked amid bullying claims in 2000, had been in suspense long enough as appeal after appeal was heard.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service will now have to pay John Prescott's legal bills for the court appearance, thought to be about £40,000.

The judge will decide at a later date whether the service will also have to cover lawyers' fees for the four firefighters, who were backed by the Fire Brigades Union.

Fire chiefs already face a bill of more than £250,000 as they repay four years of lost salary to Barry Kearley, Steve Dunbar, Bernie Ross and Richard Thoroughgood.

Union chiefs put the cost of trying to sack the men at a staggering £2m of taxpayers' money.

Brigade bosses have one last chance to appeal before they are finally forced to admit that the long-running row has been a waste of time.

A spokesman told the Daily Echo the fire authority would be having a meeting at some point to discuss what to do next.

Mikes Gates, speaking for the authority, said: "No decision has been made yet. We now have to consider where we go from here and at some stage the fire authority will be meeting to discuss the matter."