A fire and rescue service has removed Fireman Sam as their mascot because he isn't inclusive enough.
Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service has been using the Fireman Sam character for station open days and advertising material for a number of years.
But the service said they had received negative feedback from residents complaining that Sam Tân, from the fictional Welsh village of Pontypandy, perpetuated gender stereotypes within the workplace.
Lincolnshire's chief fire officer Les Britzman said: "Firefighters nationally and residents locally have raised some concerns that 'Fireman Sam' doesn't reflect the fire service today, in terms of both the job itself and our workforce.
"It's important to us that our open days and community events don't make anyone feel excluded and therefore we took this decision.
"We always make sure that we include plenty of activities and other ways to engage children and adults, to help them learn more about fire safety and a firefighter's role."
A Lincolnshire Fire Service spokeswoman said firefighters themselves had commented that the Fireman Sam character did not reflect the modern fire service.
Three blue, red, and yellow fire extinguishers called Freddy, Filbert and Penelope have served as mascots for the fire service alongside Sam.
With Sam's retirement, the three fire extinguishers will take up the role full time.
