Firefighters get on their bikes to thank their supporters

As the sun rose over the city, Southampton firefighters were furiously pedalling the final miles of their round-the-clock cycling marathon in memory of their fallen colleagues.

Crowds packed St Mary’s fire station to welcome home Red Watch as they completed their gruelling 360-mile mission to thank everyone for their support following the tragic deaths of Alan Bannon and James Shears six months-ago.

The 12-strong team cycled for 24 hours, handing out certificates of thanks to all of Hampshire’s 51 fire stations.

Ricky Sawdon, one of the cyclists, said: “It was tough but the support we had at each station was fantastic, even at 3am.

“It was nice to have the chance to say thank you to everybody who has supported us.”