Firefighters from around the world gather in Bury St Edmunds for British Firefighter Challenge

More than 200 firefighters from around the world are gathering in Bury St Edmunds this weekend for the annual British Firefighter Challenge - the first one held in the town.

Teams from countries including Portugal, India and the Czech Republic will join firefighters from across the UK in testing their strength and endurance over the course of today and tomorrow.

The challenge, held in the arc car park, will see 220 competitors run up and down six flights of stairs, hammer wooden blocks, carry oil cannisters and roll up hoses before carrying a 90kg dummy to the finish line, all while wearing a firefighter uniform, helmet and breathing apparatus.

Mark Hardingham, chief fire officer at Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The great thing about this event is that it brings people from all over the world to raise money for the firefighter charity and it gives the public a great opportunity to come and look at the role of the fire service and what we do.

"With the heatwave over the last four weeks, we have had firefighters battling crop fires and they've been out in 35 degrees doing that. So this does to an extent replicate what they're out there doing everyday."

Mark will be competing tomorrow morning to be in with a chance of being named the winner later in the afternoon.

"To say I'm nervous would be going too far because I like to keep fit as much as anyone but I'm so glad that I'm doing it tomorrow rather than today because the heat today is making it very difficult," he said.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue have competed in the event over the last two years in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire and offered to have the third one held in Bury.

They received sponsorship from several organisations including Bury St Edmunds Town Council, St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Forest Heath District Council.

"The planning that has gone into this event in massive because there's so much that has gone on behind the scenes over the last six to eight months," said Mark.

"The local businesses and organisations in Bury have really stepped up and helped us and we really appreciate the support."

Firefighters will be competing today until around 5pm. It will run again tomorrow from 9am until 5pm.