A fireman who was on the scene during some of London's biggest emergencies has hung up his helmet after a 31 year career.

David Fearn, crew manager at Sutton fire station, attended after the mortar attack on Downing Street in 1991, the bombing at Victoria Station the same year and the 7/7 bombings during a career in the fire brigade that started in 1982.

But the 50-year-old worked his final shift on Friday and said is looking forward to his retirement but worries that his younger colleagues will not be able look forward to theirs because of planned changes to firefighters' pensions.

Mr Fearn, who lives in Epsom, joined the fire brigade at 18 and served in Bromley, Westminster, Barbican and Dowgate before being based at Sutton for the last three years.

He said: "I've worked with many and varied characters over the years and that has been one of the things I've loved about the job.

"I also attended incidents including the Victoria station bombing, the downing street bombing and the 7/7 bombings among many, many others and it has been an honour to be able to help the public in their hours of need."

Under current rules, Firefighters are eligible for retirement at 50 due to the pressures of the job and Mr Fearn said he is looking to find something to do with his new-found free time as his wife will have to work for another 15 years before she retires.

The Government is involved in a dispute with the Fire Brigade Union (FBU) over planned changes to firefighters' pensions.

Mr Fearn added: "I'm sad and disappointed that firefighters in future will not be in the same position I am.

"At the end of the day, people signed up to a pension and now that agreement is being reneged on."