Former BBC presenter Beccy Barr, who gave up her TV career to become a firefighter, has died following a battle with cancer. Ms Barr, from Lancaster, announced in 2019 that she was quitting journalism after 20 years to join Lancashire Fire and Rescue, the same service her father Roy served in.

In February 2022, she posted on social media the good news that she had received distinctions in all her end-point assessments, including practical, theory, and interview elements. However, Ms Barr tragically revealed in December last year that she had been diagnosed with “incurable cancer.”

She wrote: “Two lessons I’ve learned from this distinctly sub-optimal experience: 1) Life is wild. 2) People have an utterly astounding and boundless capacity for love, care and friendship.” Earlier today, her family revealed the news of her passing on the social media site X.