Fire services are institutionally misogynistic, racist and homophobic, MPs told

An inquiry is ongoing into the culture of the fire services, following several investigations by ITV News into claims of sexual harassment and abuse, ITV News' UK Editor Paul Brand reports

Fire services in England are institutionally misogynistic, racist and homophobic, a committee of MPs heard on Tuesday.

The Home Affairs Committee is conducting an inquiry into the culture of the sector, following several investigations by ITV News into claims of sexual harassment and abuse.

Commenting on ITV News' reporting, the chair of the committee Diana Johnson, said "I have to say, I was absolutely shocked. It felt like we were in the 1970s."

Giving evidence to her committee, former fire chief Alex Johnson, told MPs "We're in the same position as we were nearly 33 years ago when I joined the service. The culture hasn't changed significantly."

Three out of the five witnesses called to give evidence agreed that fire services contained institutional discrimination.

ITV News has spent over a year exposing claims of misconduct at multiple fire services.

Two service have since been the subject of damning independent reviews into their culture, with South Wales Fire Service recently becoming the first in the UK to be put into special measures.

MPs repeatedly asked HMICFRS - which is responsible for inspecting fire services - why it had rated several services as "good" shortly before ITV News's findings.

Chief Inspector, Andy Cooke, told MPs his inspections could only capture a "moment in time", but insisted his inspectors "look right across a service."

"I find that incredible", Diana Johnson said, "There's a major problem and you don't seem to know anything about it?"

"It's not that I don't know anything about it", insisted the Chief Inspector.

The Fire Brigades Union was also asked whether it had defended male firefighters accused of sexual harassment and other misconduct.

Its General Secretary, Matt Wrack, said he could not go into specific cases, but added, "Clearly what we can't do is on an ad hoc basis withdraw representation [from our members]".

He said there was a process for deciding whether a firefighter should continue to be represented or not.

ITV News understands that the committee was shocked by the evidence it heard, with another session planned later this month.

It will then write its own report into fire service culture - the fourth to be produced in a year.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...