AN investigation has been launched into the actions of Greater Manchester Fire Service's top officer over the death of a Ramsbottom firefighter four years ago.

Solicitors acting on behalf of Paul Metcalf's family allege County Fire Officer Mr Barry Dixon, from Whitefield, was neglectful in relation to the death of Sub Officer Paul Metcalf, who drowned while trying to save a 16-year-old boy from a Holcombe lodge.

The complaint centres on a water rescue policy which was not in force at the time of Mr Metcalf's death.

The chief fire officer of West Midlands Fire Service will conduct the investigation. Mr Metcalf's family has welcomed the external investigation.

Retained firefighter Paul Metcalf died on September 5, 1999, when he and a number of his colleagues dived into Simon's Lodge to try and save student priest Reyaz Ali. A rope attached to the 40-year-old snagged on an underwater obstacle causing him to drown. Reyaz also drowned.

Specialist water rescue equipment, identified in a Health and Safety Executive report a few years earlier, was only introduced after the tragedy.

The latest twist in the Metcalf family's search for justice follows a decision by the Crown Prosecution Service not to prosecute Greater Manchester County Fire Service for corporate manslaughter and a failed bid for a judicial review.

Solicitor Mr Michael Appleby, who is acting on behalf of the Metcalfs, said the external investigation was asked for under the Fire Service (Discipline) Regulations.

He said: "Pending the completion of an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive, the disciplinary complaint is against Barry Dixon and the way he progressed the fire service's policy on water rescues.

"Paul Metcalf's family have welcomed the move."

A spokesman for Greater Manchester County Fire Service confirmed they had received the complaint against Mr Dixon who would not be suspended while the matter is dealt with by an investigating officer.