A SPATE of fireraising in Barrhead is responsible for more than over half of all recent deliberate fires in East Renfrewshire.

Of the 81 fires started intentionally between April and June of this year, 44 were set in Barrhead.

A report has revealed wilful fireraising increased throughout the region.

Firefighters were called out to 22 more deliberate fires during the 12 weeks compared to last year.

There were no fire fatalities during this period, however, one person was treated as a precautionary measure.

Local fire chiefs revealed the figures as they were subjected to scrutiny by East Renfrewshire councillors at a meeting of the council’s Cabinet for Fire and Police.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) report noted a decrease in the number of accidental house fires compared to the same period in 2015 with 14 incidents recorded compared to 19 the year previously.

Within the three-month timeframe, four fires began in non-domestic properties which include commercial, industrial and local authority buildings, representing a decrease on the previous analysis period.

SFRS senior manager Steve Wright said: “I am pleased to say that there have been no fire fatalities in this period.

“The increase in the number of deliberate fires in the region is mainly due to an increase in fires particularly in the Barrhead area.

“We are trying to focus our attentions on specific areas in the Barrhead ward.

“We continue to deliver a high number of home fire safety visits.

“There were 346 home fire safety visits in this period and 108 of those were deemed high risk.”

A social work referral process put into place to assist with the visits was said to be “contributing well to this effective performance”.

The reported also showed false alarms have gone up from 111 to 124 compared to statistics published last year, although there has been no change from the previous quarter.

Local senior officer David Proctor said: “There continues to be a proactive, targeted approach to reducing unwanted alarms due to equipment failure.

“This will remain a key area of improvement for SFRS in the coming months.

“SFRS is committed to working in partnership with Community Planning partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors in order to work together for a safer Scotland.

“Strengthening our relationship with and working in partnership to add value to our communities is critical to the success of our strategy.”

To arrange a free home fire safety visit, call 0800 0731 999 or text “FIRE” to 80800.

Alternatively, fill out a request form online at www.firescotland.gov.uk/your-safety/hfsv-form.aspx