A FLEET of vintage Green Goddesses has been put on standby for Hampshire should firefighters strike over pay at the end of the month.

It is understood about a dozen of the vehicles, some of which are half a century old, have been assigned to the county. They were last used during the strike of 1977.

Army, Navy and Royal Air Force officers have been undergoing intensive fire-fighting training after last ditch talks between local authority bosses and the Fire Brigades Union broke down last month.

Union chiefs are calling for a 40 per cent pay rise for firefighters to take their wages from £21,000 to £30,000.

The results of a national strike ballot are expected in the next two weeks, with a walk-out date pencilled in for the end of the month.

Basingstoke would be one of the hardest-hit parts of Hamp-shire if the strike went ahead.

The majority of the county's fire stations are manned by retained firefighters, who would not be involved in a strike, while Basingstoke fire station is manned by full-time firefighters.

Dean Mills, regional membership secretary for the FBU, said: "Obviously we would rather troops were not deployed.

"Their lack of training, which has been rushed, certainly isn't comprehensive and puts them at risk when they are trying to do a job they are not trained for.

"I would not expect a firefighter to be sent to war after just a few weeks' training, yet the Government believes that just a few weeks' training for the Army prepares them sufficiently to do a job it takes us four years to train for."

A spokesman for Hampshire Fire Service refused to comment on how many Green Goddesses would be deployed in the event of a strike.

A public meeting for anybody interested in finding out more about the potential strike is being held tomorrow at 7pm in Basingstoke's Wote Street Club.