Firefighters at Sellafield have voted to take industrial action.

GMB firefighter members voted two to one to take action in an ongoing dispute over pay and the grading of the role.

GMB senior organiser for Sellafield, Chris Jukes, said: "Members have expressed utter frustration to us at the way that the company has treated them and indeed it certainly appears that this has been taking place for many years.

"Taking industrial action is a last resort to any worker and is a sign of them having no other option due to management action.

"The firefighters do a vitally important job and they feel completely taken advantage of by management, relying on doing work over and above what they are paid for. It is sinful that this highly skilled group of workers have been put in this position.

"The result is that they have turned out in large numbers to express their view and in so doing delivered a strong mandate for industrial action. The firefighters at Sellafield deserve better than this."

A Sellafield Ltd spokesman said: "We are aware of the outcome of the GMB’s ballot for industrial action regarding a dispute over pay levels for firefighters.

"We remain committed to resolving these issues through dialogue, with the next stage of talks planned for June 30.

"The safety and security of the Sellafield site are our overriding priorities. We have arrangements in place to ensure the site remains safe during any industrial action."