Firefighters have been vindicated in their argument that savage cuts to London's fire stations would put lives at risk, new research revealed yesterday.

In 37 of the capital's council wards waiting times have increased by over a minute since Tory Mayor Boris Johnson forced through the closure of 10 fire stations and the decommissioning of a further 13 fire engines.

Figures suggest Londoners who dial 999 now have to wait five and a half minutes for the first fire engine to arrive on the scene - a 12 second increase on last year's average.

"In a fire, every second counts. The FBU has been raising concerns about 999 response times for a number of years, not just in London but across the country," said Fire Brigades Union (FBU) general secretary Matt Wrack.

"We've found that over two decades response times have slowed by about two minutes. It's logic - if you close fire stations and axe fire engines then it will inevitably take longer to reach people."

London Assembly Labour fire spokeswoman Fiona Twycross said: "Londoners will be deeply concerned that since the closures it could take significantly longer for a fire engine to reach their home."

The FBU has consistently warned that the public would be endangered by the cuts.

Executive member for London Ian Lehair said: "When the closures were proposed, we supported the judicial review and one of the arguments put to the court was that attendance times would go up, and there would be an increased safety risk.

"That has been vindicated."

But a spokesman for Mr Johnson brazenly insisted there was no need for alarm.

"In over 270 wards the response times for first appliances have actually fallen, in some cases by up to a minute and in over half of those where there were increases, it was less than 15 seconds," he said.

Labour leader Ed Miliband has gathered 159 names in support of an early day motion in the Commons calling for the government to scrap "dangerous" proposed reforms which would see firefighters' pension contributions skyrocket and raise their retirement age.