AN angry spat has erupted between London Assembly Member Brian Coleman and MP Lynne Featherstone after he criticised her for wasting Fire Brigade time when she called 999 because of a noise in her boiler. Ms Featherstone, the MP for Hornsey and Wood Green

AN angry spat has erupted between London Assembly Member Brian Coleman and MP Lynne Featherstone after he criticised her for wasting Fire Brigade time when she called 999 because of a noise in her boiler.

Ms Featherstone, the MP for Hornsey and Wood Green who lives in Highgate, wrote a blog thanking Hornsey firefighters for rushing to her aid when her boiler made a banging noise at the end of November.

The Lib Dem MP dialled 999, ran out of the house with her two daughters and dog, and moved the car out of the driveway because of the sound and vibrations from her basement.

But when her daughter ran back inside, turned the central heating and water off the noise stopped - just before the officers arrived.

Mr Coleman, chairman of London's Fire Authority, said: "We are a fire rescue service not Lynne Featherstone's heating engineers. You don't call the fire brigade - you switch your boiler off and call a plumber the next day.

"It costs £250 per hour for a call out and I look forward to receiving a cheque from Lynne Featherstone.

"She has shown herself to be completely dizzy. I wouldn't put the Lib Dems in charge of running the country when they can't run a heating system.

"There could have been a serious incident somewhere else. This is a complete waste of time and money."

Ms Featherstone reported the incident on her blog, saying she wanted to make a "public thank you", calling the officers "my heroes".

The disturbance came from an airlock caused when her boiler motor jammed.

It was fixed by an engineer the following day.

Mr Coleman said: "She advertised the fact she is dizzy on her blog, which is even more stupid. Airheads and airlocks are obviously not unrelated. She can't tell the difference between an airlock and a major catastrophe."

But Ms Featherstone has hit back claiming it is Coleman who is the fool. "I'm absolutely shocked that someone in Brian's position - as chairman of the London Fire Authority - would discourage anyone from ringing 999 in an emergency," she said.

"He's an idiot.