In a damning statement, the Fire Brigades Union condemned the cuts in the number of counsellors trained to help firefighters in London.

Under the tenure of London's previous lord mayor, the number of counsellors was cut from 14 to just 2, leaving London Fire Brigade struggling to cope in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.

General secretary of the Firebrigades Union, Matt Wrack stated: “The absolutely devastating scenes that firefighters witnessed at Grenfell will stay with them for the rest of their lives. They are heroic men and women who just get on with the job and don’t complain but at the end of the day, they’re human and will be affected by what they see. The priority today is to make sure that everything possible is done to take care of their mental wellbeing after such a horrific disaster.  We need more counsellors to look after them, not less.”

Chief Executive of The Firefighters Charity, Dr Jill Tolfrey said: “We know that incidents like this can have a serious and lasting impact on the emotional wellbeing and mental health of firefighters and control staff”.

The Firefighters Charity Services Action Line is open 8am-6pm Monday to Friday and from 9am-5pm on Saturdays. Fire and rescue services personnel can call 0800 389 8820 for support and advice.