Taxpayer funded fire boss's back op

%VIRTUAL-SkimlinksPromo%A cash-strapped fire authority's decision to pay £3,000 of taxpayer's money to cover a chief officer's private surgery has been criticised by the firefighters' union.

The chief fire officer of Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service Mark Yates claimed the payment towards a £5,090 operation on his back, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed.