Competition was so intense that 24 people applied for every vacant firefighter's job in West Sussex last year.

The figures, revealed in a report published yesterday, will strengthen the hand of the fire service employers as the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) gears up for its next proposed strike in January.

The employers can point to the fact firefighting remains a popular profession in West Sussex with 568 people applying for the 24 posts available last year.

The number of applicants in East Sussex was lower but there were still nine applicants for each of the 40 posts on offer.

But union leaders have already branded the findings irrelevant and biased, saying they were yet more Government spin.

Sir George Bain's independent inquiry recommended an 11 per cent rise in firefighters' pay over two years, coupled with radical modernisation of their working practices.

This is expected to lead to a reduction in the size of the fire service of around 20 per cent, or 11,000 jobs.

The posts would be shed through retirement rather than compulsory redundancy but jobs in the fire service would become even harder to secure for new recruits.

The report recommends a four per cent pay rise this year followed by seven per cent next year.

The FBU wants a 40 per cent increase but has indicated it would settle for a 16 per cent pay rise.

Sir George said the settlement would be self-financing within three to five years but only if all his recommendations for reform were accepted.

He admitted the Government might need to provide about £35 million in funding to meet the shortfall before efficiency savings kicked in.

Among the most radical proposals are the suggestions that insurance firms could be charged to help cover the cost of traffic accidents and that people could be made to pay for false alarms.