Twenty-nine-year-old mum Anna Millington has become Keighley Fire Station's first female firefighter.

Anna, who has a two-year-old daughter, Ryanna, was selected after a rigorous 13-week training course, at West Yorkshire fire headquarters, in Birkenshaw.

The former leisure centre manager said: "It was very tense -- physically and mentally draining -- you really must want to be a firefighter to go through it."

Anna was one of six women among the 35 trainees and all six passed through the course.

Added Anna:"We were under constant assessment but we helped each other to keep motivated. I would never have given up no matter how intense it was".

Anna, who has been living in Bramley and is planning to buy a house in Keighley, said: "I love the work -- it's been the best career move of my life."

She became interested in the job after a firefighter called to give her home a risk assessment. Later she attended an "awareness day" at Birkenshaw, realising then how much she would have to improve physically, especially in the stamina levels.

She also visited her local fire station to handle and familiarise herself with the equipment.

After being told of her Keighley posting Anna said: "I was a bit apprehensive about how they would accept me. I wanted them to be themselves and not change -- people have been very supportive."

Of the 1,698 full-time firefighters in West Yorkshire, 32 are women. Recently, the percentage has grown rapidly, five years ago there were about five.

The service is holding a number of awareness days, including one on Saturday, especially for woman and a general day on Saturday, July 26.