FIREFIGHTERS from Bosnia are to visit their pals from East Lancashire as part of the rebuilding of their country's devastated 999 service.

Last month five Lancashire firefighters went to the town of Banjaluca in Bosnia to help restore the town's fire and rescue service which had been badly hit by war.

Station officer Colin Byers of Ribchester, Sub-officer Andy Wilkinson of Preston, firefighters John Gallagher and Mark Noblett of Leyland, and former assistant divisional officer Colin Cunliffe of Ribchester, visited the the town to help train new firefighters to replace those killed or dispersed during the war, and replace equipment.

They travelled by sea and over land to deliver a fire engine and other equipment retired from use in Lancashire, but made serviceable by willing hands and desperately needed by the fledgling firecrews in Banjaluca.

The team were part of a UK response "Operation Florian" to help alleviate suffering in the war-torn territories of the former Yugoslavia and a total of six fire engines were donated last month.

Now a delegation of six leading Bosnian fire officers and politicians are due in East Lancashire next week to witness at first hand the service in which their emerging fire and rescue provision is modelled.

During their stay the group will meet firefighters at Burnley fire station and will tour the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service training centre in Chorley.