FIREFIGHTERS in Leigh said they were glad the long-running pay dispute was over -- but they were disappointed with the final settlement deal.

Firefighters nationwide voted three to one in favour of a 16 per cent pay increase at a special union conference in Glasgow last Thursday.

Leigh firefighters had voted overwhelmingly against accepting the final deal -- but overall, the Greater Manchester County Fire Service voted to accept the pay deal.

Firefighters would receive 4 per cent more in their next pay packets, followed by 7 per cent in November and the remaining increase by next summer to take the average salary to £25,000.

And Ralph Twiss, the Fire Brigades Union representative for Wigan and Bolton, told the Journal: "Obviously the firefighters are relieved that the pay dispute is over, but they are not happy with what they settled with."

"There will be an assortment of changes in working practices for staff with this pay deal. But the Union has a number of serious concerns about some of these changes to working practices, which we need to look at."

The dispute, which began at the end of last year, has seen a series of strikes by firefighters across the country. And the army was drafted in to provide cover using Green Goddess appliances.