New Hereford and Worcester fire vehicle not used
A fire brigade vehicle costing £650,000 and delivered last year is yet to be used, a fire service has said.
Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said there have been a number of mechanical defects.
But it said the Combined Aerial Rescue Pump vehicle, delivered last September, "is entirely roadworthy and legal".
Fire Brigades Union secretary in the area, Peter Hope, said: "The trouble is with it now is it's got such a bad reputation for failure."
He said it was an "outstanding piece of kit that's cost an outstanding value of money that is not at the moment ready to use".
Mr Hope added: "The people who've trained on it have not been able to complete their courses because it breaks down...
"As a professional firefighter going into life and death situations you need to have trust and reliability in the equipment you're using and that has been vastly eroded."
In a statement, the fire service said there have been a number of mechanical defects "which have delayed training and integration of the vehicle into our fleet".
It said the vehicle was purchased in euros and about £90,000 of the final price was due to fluctuations in the euro exchange rate.