EMPLOYEE numbers at the region's fire and rescue service have dropped by more than a third since 2010, new figures show.

A Freedom of Information request by the Fire Brigades Union revealed that 1,103 people – including full-time and on-call firefighters and supporting staff, such as call handlers – were employed by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service this year.

The figure compares to 1,720 in 2010, a fall of 617 – or 36 per cent.

UK-wide, across the 49 fire and rescue services which provided data in response to the Freedom of Information request, the number of employees has fallen on average by 21 per cent over the last 14 years.

England was the worst impacted, with 10,000 jobs cut – down 22 per cent.

In the same period, Scotland lost 1,400 roles, Northern Ireland lost more than 200 and Wales 500.

The Fire Brigades Union says firefighters are being asked to "do more with less".

Matt Wrack, the union's general secretary, says: “Fourteen years of austerity have devastated the fire and rescue service.

“Every region has been hit, with 12,000 firefighters lost to cuts across the UK.”

He added that a rise in flooding incidents, wildfires and storms – due to the changing climate – meant firefighters were “being asked to do more with less”.

He said: “To protect the public, Labour must invest in the fire and rescue service as a matter of urgency.”

A Home Office spokesperson says: “Throughout the country, our firefighters operate in uniquely challenging and high-risk environments, constantly going above and beyond the call of duty to protect our communities.

“We'll continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure that all services have the resources they need to protect communities at the highest standard.”

Fire and rescue services have received around £2.87 billion this financial year, the spokesperson added.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was approached for a comment, but no response had been received at the time of writing.

In the summer, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services published a report after carrying out an inspection of the West Yorkshire brigade.

The inspectorate said the service required improvement with regard to preventing fires and other risks.

But the watchdog praised the service in several areas, including its response to fires and major incidents, getting the right people with the right skills, and managing performance.