FIREFIGHTERS across Eastleigh took to the picket lines last night as the country's first fire service strike for 25 years got under way.

Three people died in fires across the country as over-stretched controls were plagued with scores of hoax calls and arson attacks.

In Hampshire Green Goddesses staffed by Royal Navy personnel were called out to eight incidents overnight although none of them were serious.

And within the first hour of the strike the operations headquarters in Netley had dealt with four calls from mindless hoaxers.

Firefighters went on strike from 6pm last night after rejecting a government offer of an 11 per cent pay rise over two years.

At Fire Service Headquarters in Eastleigh, control room staff who would normally be manning the phones to receive 999 calls, were huddled together alongside their firefighter colleagues.

On each night shift in the county, which lasts 14-and-a-half hours, they usually handle between 70 and 120 calls.

One member of staff said: "I don't know if the temporary control room at Netley will be able to cope with it, not with the set up and equipment that they have. We don't want to be here but we feel like we have been forced into a corner. Now we need to focus on giving each other support."

At the town's station on Leigh Road there was an 80 per cent turnout of striking staff.

Firefighter John Jowitt said: "We feel a bit better now, but coming out at 6pm was very depressing and disheartening."