SIX of the county's firefighters will battle 200 other flame blazers in a bid to be crowned the nation's rescue champions.

Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue have been preparing in a local scrapyard, ahead of next week's UK Rescue Organisation (UKRO) Challenge– which will take place in Cardiff.

The team have made mock up crashes with the scrapped shells of cars to prepare for the event, which will submerge them into real-life scenarios including removing 'live' casualties and taking the tops off cars.

Chris Barber from the team said: “We’re taking every opportunity to train when we can, at work and in our own time, and we’re determined to give it our best shot."

The 44-year-old, who is based at the county HQ said: “Community support for our team has been fantastic. We’ve got great relationships with local scrapyards, like Smiths of Bloxham, who help us to mock up vehicle smashes.”