HAMPSHIRE Fire Service is struggling to meet government targets for recruiting black and ethnic minority personnel (Daily Echo, June 23).

Not for Labour, it seems, any old-fashioned ideas about ensuring we have a force capable of putting out fires irrespective of colour or ethnicity.

In any case, since the government opened our borders for mass immigration, thus making a mockery of such targets, it would be better to drop the idea altogether.

How can the fire service know whether or not it is likely to meet its targets when millions of migrants from eastern Europe and elsewhere are entitled to enter Britain and will undoubtedly do so?

The only practical and logical solution under the present regime to embark on a course of selectively sacking English firefighters and replacing them with ethnic minority staff, while banning indefinitely anyone with British links from applying to join the service. Well done New Labour!

MRS B THORNE, Hythe.