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Twitter users could soon be able to report emergencies in 140 characters and bypass 999 calls under proposals aimed at making communication with the UK's biggest fire service easier.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has said that it will explore the idea of setting up the world's first 999 emergency feed to ease pressure on the telephone service which takes more than 30million calls a year.

The plans, which are part of the Brigade's Draft London Safety Plan, will not replace the 999 system.

But the plans have been slammed by union chiefs who believe that the idea could put lives at risk.

Ian Leahair, Fire Brigades Union executive council member for London told the Independent: 'It is a ludicrous idea.

'It will inevitably lead to more hoax calls. They sound like something the London Fire Brigade has just blurted out.' 

Some Twitter users had already taken to the social networking site to report fires according to the LFB, and fire crews have previously used information and pictures tweeted by members of the public to help tackle emergencies.

But fire chiefs have urged people to continue to dial 999 as their Twitter feed @LondonFire is not currently manned around the clock.

The service will look at different social media, micro-blogging sites and smart-phone apps as alternatives to the current telephone system.

It cites figures from Ofcom that suggest that the number of people talking on the phone is in decline and that 20 per cent of adults now use a smart phone.

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Cradled in his arms, Barry McCarney is caught on CCTV desperately trying to bring his girlfriend's dying daughter back to life. But the haunting footage, captured in Erne Hospital, in Northern Ireland, disguises the horrific reality of what has just happened. McCarney is no desperate father giving the kiss of life to his 15-month-old step-child. Instead, he is the perverted monster who abused Millie Martin so badly that she died of her injuries.

Yesterday, a judge sitting at Dungannon Crown Court branded the 33-year-old's crimes despicable. He described the December 2009 murder as 'almost beyond understanding.'

McCarney, from County Tyrone, met Millie's mother Rachael Martin just three months before the little girl's death. He quickly eased his way into the family home in Enniskillen which allowed him access to Millie. During a ten-week trial, the court heard how he had physically and sexually abused the toddler until she was left with a number of fatal injuries, including the head wound that killed her.

A pathologist found that Millie had suffered 21 cracked ribs, seven of which were old, while the rest had happened in the ten days before her death. Multiple bruises were also found on the youngster's body along with a clearly visible oval shaped bump on her forehead. During the post-mortem examination, the pathologist found injuries to her abdomen caused by punching or prodding which would also have been fatal. Millie had also been sexually assaulted.The prosecution described the attacks on her as vile and sadistic.

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