FIRE crews across Wiltshire stood to observe a minute's silence on Tuesday to remember colleagues who died.

International Firefighters Day is observed annually on May 4 to remember those firefighters who have died while serving their community or dedicated their lives to protecting the safety of us all.

In Trowbridge, firefighters stood with heads bowed to remember colleagues, including retired Watch Manager Guy Tadman who died last week after losing his battle with leukaemia.

He had been a firefighter for 22 years but retired in January as his illness worsened.

Mr Tadman was initially diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in November 2019 and received a stem cell transplant last April.

A research study by the International Association of Firefighters in 2017 reported that cancer causes the most death among firefighters. Between 2002 and 2017, 61 per cent rate of line-of-duty deaths among firefighters were caused by cancer.