A £10,000 fire service video featuring rap singer/songwriter Corey ‘S-Man’ Campbell has been criticised as being too expensive.

The internet video from West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service was produced in a bid to reach the black community in the region. The lyrics tell the story of a family caught in a house fire.

But Kevin Foster, a member of West Midlands Fire Authority and a Conservative city councillor for Coventry, told info4fire:

“I don’t object to the principle of using innovative ideas to get a message across, however, when spending £10,000 on a video that lasts four minutes – compared to other safety videos that have cost less – you have to question why it cost so much, particularly in these times.”

According to You Tube, however, the video has been viewed more than 6,000 times since it was posted on 22 October.