There has been one incident of sewage leaking into schools in East Renfrewshire since 2019, new figures reveal.

The data, released following Freedom of Information requests to all local authorities by the Scottish Liberal Democrats, shows that Barrhead High recorded a sewage spill over this period.

A waste pipe fitting reportedly came off, which caused "foul water" to escape through a ceiling in the kitchen.

The kitchen was sanitised and deep cleaned before being reinstated.

A spokesperson for East Renfrewshire Council said: "This minor isolated incident was caused following a blockage to a single toilet.

"The incident caused no interruption to the catering service provided by the school, with the kitchen and toilet back in use the following day."

READ NEXT: Inside one of the 'finest' homes for sale in Barrhead

Across Scotland, a total of 88 sewage spills have been recorded across 11 local authorities since 2019.

There were 26 leaks in South Lanarkshire, 15 in Renfrewshire, 14 in Stirling and 11 in the Highlands.

Meanwhile, five each were reported in Aberdeen, Argyll and Bute and West Lothian, with three in East Ayrshire, two in the Borders and one in Clackmannanshire.

Alex Cole-Hamilton, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, described the figures as "worrying news" for parents and pupils.

He said: "I hope that local authorities will be able to offer assurances that these issues have been addressed and will not happen again.

READ NEXT: Barrhead train station to reopen this week following month-long closure

"The Scottish Government have starved local authorities of the money needed to overhaul ageing schools for years.

"They must urgently work to ensure local authorities are properly funded, upgrade Scotland’s Victorian sewage systems and prevent incidents like these."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "The maintenance of school infrastructure is the responsibility of individual local authorities.

"Since 2007, the number of schools in good or satisfactory condition has increased from 61% to 90.4% - seeing a 77% reduction in pupils educated in substandard conditions.

"The upcoming £2billion investment in the school estate through our Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) is intended to build on that progress."