A new, improved uniform which offers more protection to firefighters including a special version for women has been introduced by the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service.

The restyled fire tunic and over-trousers are made of an fire-resistant fabric made which is its natural tan colour, rather than dyed blue.

The blue dye used to colour the old uniforms actually reduced their resistance to fire, particularly after repeated washing.

A new uniform, when firefighters are not dealing with incidents, has also been introduced and the traditional caps and ties have been scrapped.

A new-look 'duty rig' uniform has also been created, consisting of a dark blue blouson jacket, trousers, pullover, and open-neck short sleeve shirt worn over a red t-shirt.

And the protocol of having officers wear white shirts and other ranks wear blue ones has been dumped, and only shirt collar insignia now defines the service rank.