FIREFIGHTERS facing the axe from their part-time work look set to discover their fate the week before Christmas.

The decision day has been put back after the county's fire authority chiefs, who proposed to cut retained crews in Accrington, Leyland and Lancaster, were asked by the Government to hold further consultations about the issue.

Fire authority chairman County Councillor Bob Clark, has blamed the delay on recently-appointed Home Office minister Mike O'Brien.

But Hyndburn MP Greg Pope, hit back, claiming he was not consulted by the authority until after the original decision on budget cuts had been made.

Mr O'Brien has asked fire chiefs to hold a further two weeks of talks with MPs, councillors and fire brigade representatives. But Coun Clark is set to ask an authority meeting next Monday to make that period eight weeks, meaning observations would be submitted on December 13.

Coun Clark said: "The minister has said he's not prepared to make a decision at this stage, but he's going to have to at some point.

"I'm surprised it's taken the Home Office eight months to tell us we need to have further consultation, because we could have done this a lot sooner. "The minister seems frightened of making a decision, but even if he does so in December, the firefighters need three months' notice. By then we'd be near the time for drawing up next year's budget."

Mr Pope said: "Bob Clark should stop trying to shift the blame on to the Government.

"It is the fire authority's decision, but they seem to be embarrassed about making the cuts. I'm delighted the minister has given us the chance to meet the authority, because I wasn't consulted properly in the first place.

"The cuts would only make minor savings. I find it hard to believe that scrapping Accrington's third engine, which made 150 calls last year, would not affect safety."

Lancashire Fire Brigades' Union spokesman Tony Harris, added: "People have been waiting long enough for a decision already.

"The crews have been kept completely in the dark and they have had no contact from the fire authority."

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