The Fire Brigades Union has called off planned strikes after reaching an agreement with employers in the long running pay and conditions dispute.

The move came after talks on Thursday aimed at resolving the stand off which has been running for nearly two years.

After a failure earlier this month, when the union accused the government of sabotaging an agreement, the two sides signed up to a deal that will see pay rises implemented in exchange for the reform of working practices.

This modernisation proved to be one of the toughest nuts to crack although agreement on a timescale has now been reached.

The final sticking point was the issue of bank holiday working but a consensus was found after two days of talks and behind the scenes negotiations conducted by TUC general secretary Brendan Barber.

Fire fighters will now receive a backdated pay rise of a 3.5 per cent rise from last November and a further 4.2 per cent from last month.

London assembly member and chairman of the Capital's fire authority Valerie Shawcross said the employers had achieved a "completely renegotiated set of terms and conditions".

"Today has been quite easy but it has been a long process," she told the BBC after the talks.

Patience

FBU assistant general secretary Mike Fordham said agreement had been reached by "patient negotiation and goodwill on all sides".

"I hope that we can now put this dispute behind us and look forward to stability in the future and rebuild the trust and partnership which has been lacking recently," he added.

"This has been a long and difficult dispute but in the end our union came through it strong and united.

"Our members can now get on with what they do best: providing an unrivalled professional fire and rescue service."

Barber said he was "delighted" that the dispute had come to an end.

"The task now for all sides will be to put the tensions of the dispute behind them," he said.

Representing councils, the Local Government Association said: "For the last two years the fire and rescue service has undergone one of its most uncertain and unsettling periods in its long and distinguished history.

"Throughout that period the LGA has played a vital role in helping the fire employers to reach a satisfactory conclusion to their negotiations with the FBU.

"Today's agreement signals the beginning of a new era for the UK's fire and rescue service.

"Significant pay increases for staff have been delivered in exchange for service improvement that will deliver a more appropriate, better-resourced and inclusive service focused on preventing loss of life."

The union's decision to call off the planned strikes will be a relief to ministers who have been criticised for failing to prepare to put the army on standby for emergency cover.

The dispute first came to public prominence during the winter of 2002/03 when a series of strikes brought Green Goddess engines back onto the streets.