A TEAM of full-time firefighters has been praised for working through the start of today's strike to save a Botley pub.

Working with retained firefighters from the village, crews from Hightown, Southampton, were called to The Dolphin Hungry Horse about an hour before the start of this morning's eight-day national fire strike got under way.

A blaze had broken out under the fireplace at the High Street pub and at 9am - the time that the strike was due to start - the firefighters were still dealing with the incident.

Floorboards had to be ripped up to stop the flames from spreading as smoke billowed out into the building.

The Hightown crew returned to base at 9.20am, leaving the retained firefighters, who are not striking, to tidy up after the fire.

The engines were put away and the station closed as their colleagues formed picket lines outside.

Pub manager Mark Veale, aged 34, said: "I just want to thank the firemen for saving my pub.

"I have always supported them 100 per cent - and even more so now."

Mr Veale was worried that at 9am that the full-time firefighters might have had to leave the scene because of the strike, but added: "They told me that they would stay until the fire was sorted and there was no longer a risk."

A Hampshire Fire and Rescue spokesman said that it was always understood that if there were any on-going incidents at 9am crews would stay until they were dealt with.

At stations across the Eastleigh area and the fire service headquarters in Leigh Road, firefighters and control room staff who take 999 calls for the county, were back on strike.

Eastleigh firefighter Simon Packer said: "The watch was pretty depressed again this morning. We were hopeful with the talks going overnight that something would be resolved. Sixteen per cent is a starting point but we simply can't sign up to modernisation which would take fire engines off the run at night when the most fire deaths occur."