London Fire Brigade has announced it will no longer respond to automatic fire alarms during daytime hours.

The change, which started today (October 29), applies to most non-residential buildings, including office blocks and industrial estates.

The brigade will only attend if a call is received from someone reporting a fire.

The new policy, which aims to free up resources for fire prevention activities and more operational training, will apply between 7am and 8.30pm.

It comes after a public consultation last year with businesses, partners, firefighters, and the public.

The brigade will still attend automatic fire alarms in residential buildings, schools, nurseries, hospitals, care homes, listed heritage sites, and other exempt premises.

Assistant Commissioner for Prevention and Protection Craig Carter said: "Following a period of extensive engagement with our communities and stakeholders, we are now ready to roll out this new policy.

"We will always attend an emergency and will continue to attend an alarm at any premises where people sleep – such as homes, hotels and prisons."

The decision comes after it was revealed that false alarms make up 40 per cent of the calls the brigade receives, with less than one per cent of automatic fire alarms indicating genuine fires.

Most false alarms are due to poor alarm design or maintenance, dust, or steam.