Sutton fire station had just one fire engine on site last Saturday night amid industrial action said to be crippling London Fire Brigade.

On Saturday night engines from the station were sent to deal with flooding in other parts of London leaving only one engine on site at Sutton.

Firefighters are currently working to rule over plans to introduce new shift pattens and the result of a ballot for full strike action will be announced on Thursday next week.

There are concerns shortages like the one on Saturday could cause a real problem for the borough in the event of an emergency.

But a spokesman for London Fire Brigade was keen to stress the situation was under control. She said: “Industrial action being taken by London firefighters means that there could be some disruption to individual fire stations for short periods.

“During this action we would like to reassure Londoners that we plan our fire cover to meet the needs of London as a whole. If for any reason staff or fire engines in a particular station are unavailable we allocate resources from elsewhere to provide cover.

“We provide this sort of cover every day while crews are dealing with an emergency, carrying out community safety work or training away from their station”.