Existing pension schemes no longer honoured; increased pension contributions; refusals to negotiate. I consider the treatment of firefighters by the Government to be unjustified and unfair.

And what’s this odious threat of dismissal in their fifties if they are not as fit as a 20-year-old? I’ve lost count of the number of times I have seen one or two rather more elderly members of Parliament dozing off on the benches. Should we sack them perhaps?

Of course our physical fitness declines as we get older but as we age so our knowledge and experience compounds – assets, I would have thought, of inestimable value to the fire service.

Over the past two or three years I have had occasions to witness our firefighters at work. The crews, a mix of ages, have been responsive, courteous, co-ordinated and efficient. And, unlike our Government, know exactly what to do and how to do it.

Come on, Claire Perry, let’s hear it for the Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service. Give them the support they need.

Robert Macmillan, Kelham Gardens, Marlborough.