Firefighters in Cornwall were called to more non-fire incidents than actual fires last year, figures reveal.

The Fire Brigades Union said it has seen a surge in widespread flooding nationally, as crews “battle the sharp end of climate change”.

Home Office data shows Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service responded to 1,885 non-fire incidents in 2019-20.

That was higher than the number of fires fought by crews over the period, which came in at 1,327.

Despite this, incidents not involving fires still decreased by ten per cent compared to 2018-19, the figures show, while fires fell by 17 per cent.

Non-fire incidents are classed as anything other than fires and false alarms, including flooding incidents, road traffic collisions, animal assistance as well as suicide attempts, people being stranded, trapped, impaled and dealing with hazardous substances among others.

Across England and Wales a whole fire crews responded to 172,000 incidents of this kind in 2019-20 – a six per cent rise compared to 2018-19, and 12 per cent up compared to a decade ago.

Figures show the latest increase has been driven by crews attending more flooding and multi-agency incidents, which involve other emergency services.

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “We have seen a significant increase in flooding incidents, likely linked to the mass flooding emergencies across the country over last winter.

“Widespread flooding in the last year and recent wildfires have shown that firefighters are battling the sharp end of climate change.

"Their work should be properly recognised with a statutory duty to respond to floods in England and the proper funding of their service."

An agreement reached in March allowed firefighters to drive ambulances and deliver vital supplies to the elderly and vulnerable as the coronavirus crisis took hold.

Mr Wrack continued: "Firefighters have always taken on a range of non-fire work and can be proud of stepping up during the coronavirus pandemic, all while still responding to fires and other emergencies."