Tyne & Wear Fire and Rescue Service has offered employees a salary-sacrifice cycle-to- work scheme.

The organisation hopes this will help employees save money on bikes, reduce congestion and pollution and improve staff health and wellbeing.

The scheme, provided by P&MM, allows employees to buy a bicycle and pay for it by monthy deductions from their salary, saving tax and national insurance contributions.

Joanne Henry, HR administrator at Tyne & Wear Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We are delighted see more staff already arriving on bicycles and are please so many are making a conscious decision to improve their health and wellbeing, while supporting the environmental agenda."