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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Robyn Vinter, North of England correspondent

England’s fire brigades rife with ‘pockets of abhorrent behaviour’

Two firefighters.
The offensive language and behaviour used within the fire service has been excused as ‘old-school banter’. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Fire brigades across England are rife with “pockets of abhorrent behaviour” such as sexist, racist and homophobic language, an investigation has found.

The firefighting inspectorate discovered that almost a quarter of brigades were culpable with their behaviour excused as “old-school banter”, according to a report into allegations of a toxic culture.

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