A POSTCARD of a topless girl in a fire station kitchen made the visiting top officer see red.

Men on a watch at the Abertillery station and their junior officer were reprimanded after South Wales Chief Fire Officer Brian Fraser saw the postcard.

In his Chief's Update in the monthly newsletter sent to all stations he said such material was "totally unacceptable" and that he did not expect to find it at any fire station.

But yesterday a Fire Brigades Union (FBU) representative said two Abertillery officers had now started a grievance procedure and that there would be discussions held in the next 10 days.

John Jenkins, brigade secretary for the FBU in South Wales, said: "We all agree that there shouldn't be inappropriate behaviour or material but the way in which he went about it is felt to have been over the top and a bit heavy-handed."

But Mr Fraser hit back. He told the Argus: "I don't believe my actions were over the top.

"This is about treating everybody with dignity and respect. We are determined to make the public's fire stations welcoming and where members of the public and our staff can meet in a friendly, non-threatening atmosphere. "This is about improving an organisation which already provides an excellent service to the public."

Mr Jenkins said that if Mr Fraser had not named the fire station in the newsletter and sent out a general statement about clearing out any offensive material instead, the firefighters would not have felt so aggrieved.

Mr Jenkins said: "They feel they have been named and shamed. Some people are irate about what has happened. Officers at other stations are also upset on behalf of their colleagues."

Mr Fraser declined to comment on suggestions he had "named and shamed" officers.

Mr Jenkins said the union would also be pushing for a list of exactly what might be inappropriate material. He said the postcard found at the station showed a woman sunbathing topless on a beach.

Mike Smith, executive council member for the FBU in Wales, said: "I don't think there is any argument about whether it is right for this sort of literature to be on display in what is a community fire station. It is a matter of how the matter was handled."