Businesses employing retained firefighters could get tax breaks as the county council tries to tackle a shortage of part-time firefighters in Oxfordshire.

The council has revealed it will lobby the Government to try to get tax concessions as part of measures to recruit and hold on to retained firefighters.

Retained firefighters have other jobs, but are expected to respond to incidents immediately when they are called out.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has managed to increase its tally of retained firefighters from 265 four years ago to 345 now, but is still struggling to provide fire cover across the county during working hours.

Some rural fire stations are up to seven firefighters below the ideal complement and there are fears that Faringdon could lose its second fire engine if enough local recruits do not come forward.

The station needs 24 firefighters to make sure both its fire engines can be fully crewed 24 hours a day, but currently has to cope with 17.

Commenting on the tax breaks idea, the fire service's recruitment officer, Tony Whiting, said: "It would be fantastic if they did this. I think it will enable us to recruit a lot more people.

"Areas like Faringdon are a real problem for us, because it takes a lot of resources to maintain cover out there.

"There's not a police station or ambulance station in Faringdon, so our role is even more important."

Faringdon firefighter Caroline Tilling said: "This could be a great boost. Currently, if we have two calls five minutes apart, one person might have to wait for a fire engine from Witney or Wantage and lives could be at stake.

"We don't want to lose our second fire engine but if we can't get enough staff, that could be it."

The council believes if it can secure relief on a Corporation Tax for businesses which employ retained firefighters, it could make companies willing to let their staff join the service.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Dave Etheridge said: "The recruitment and retention of retained firefighters is a continuous issue for us.

"The number of firefighters we have has increased, but the amount of cover they are able to provide has reduced, because people live and work further away from the towns now.

"We need to get companies to release staff during daytime hours to give us better cover across Oxfordshire."

Retained firefighters earn an average of between £5,000 and £8,000 a year. Of the 24 fire stations in Oxfordshire, 18 rely on part-timers.

The county council's cabinet member for community safety, Judy Heathcoat, said: "The recruitment and retention of retained firefighters is difficult and this is about making an incentive for the employers and employees.

"This is an innovative idea and it's at an embryonic stage but we're going to lobby the Government to see what tax breaks we could get."