Fire chief is reappointed after retiring

THE former chief fire officer for the Lothians was given a £350,000 retirement pay-out before being re-appointed to the same post just days later.

Brian Allaway, the former firemaster at Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service, last year managed to take advantage of a scheme known as "abatement".

The abatement system allows staff to retire and access their pension pot before being handed their old jobs back.

Mr Allaway, 57, who earned around 122,000 a year, retired on September 13 but was then re-employed as firemaster just eight days later. He retired permanently in June this year after a nine-month stint.

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said: "The policy follows changes to the pensions' regulations in 2007 and is supported by the Fire Brigade Union and the Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Board."