A FIREFIGHTER who had his wages docked for taking time off to donate life-saving bone marrow has been "inundated" with messages of support.

Lancashire Fire Authority's resources committee will today vote on whether to return the cash to Mark McCracken, 43, of Colne, who works at Blackburn Fire Station.

Authority chairman Coun Bob Wilkinson said he "could see the merit" in handing back the money but could not say how the committee would vote.

The docking of his wages caused outrage among Mr McCracken's colleagues and Coun Jean Rigby, a Blackburn with Darwen Council member of the fire authority, said she was appalled by the decision.

At the time bosses at Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said all requests for leave were looked at with a set of consistent criteria and Mr McCracken had been granted special leave.

And Coun Wilkinson said managers did not have the authority to award paid leave.

Mr McCraken, who also works part-time at Briggs Sheet Metal Fabrication, Accrington, said: "Most of the letters came in anonymously so I couldn't write back.

"They said things like 'well done' and 'what you did was incredibly brave', so I just wanted to say thank you to everyone."

He said some had contained cash and cheques - about £30 in total.

He also thanked Lancashire Telegraph readers who left messages on our website.

"Usually when something like this crops up there are two sides to argument, but there has been nothing supporting the fire service's side - that's the public view," he added.

In November Mr McCracken was contacted by doctors at the Anthony Nolan Trust, which runs a bone-marrow register, to say he had been matched with teenage girl suffering from a life-threatening blood cancer.

He had applied for leave to travel to London. Lancashire fire bosses told him he could go for the operation but said he would not be paid.

Mr McCracken had two weeks off work and was docked five days' wages to cover the days he would have been in work.

The trust stepped in and re-imbursed Mr McCracken for his lost pay - in line with its policy of making sure no one is out of pocket for donating bone marrow.

The Fire Brigades Union has sent collection tins to stations across the county in a bid to send money back to the trust.

The money will be added together in a few days time.

Coun Wilkinson said the fire service did not have anything written down about how to deal with situations like this and would be putting down parameters at the meeting.