Rubbish fires are costing Scots million

Arsonists who torch rubbish have caused £45 million worth of damage and left almost 100 people injured across Scotland.

Since 2011, firefighters have been called more than 25,000 times to put out rubbish fires, including flaming piles of fly-tipped trash, blazing wheelie bins and smouldering industrial waste.

Around 90% of those are thought to have been started deliberately, according to a Sunday Post freedom of information request.

With each 999 call-out costing roughly £2,000 to deal with, the problem is likely to have cost £45m over the last three years.

Fire chiefs say the problem is fuelled by fly-tippers, who leave communities dotted with piles of flammable material. They say fly-tipping items acts as an “open invitation to vandals”.

In the most serious cases, rubbish fires have spread to people’s homes and offices, resulting in almost 100 people being injured, some seriously.

Group Commander for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Iain Goodlet said: “These fires can be horrendous. The smoke drifts everywhere. People with conditions such as asthma and bronchitis find it can exacerbate it.

“There could be a lot more injuries than those reported. People might not report it or go to hospital themselves.”

More than half of all deliberate fires in Scotland involve rubbish being set alight.

Last month, £700,000 worth of damage was caused to a Tesco store in Glasgow after rubbish piled against a fence behind the store was set alight. The fire took hold and spread into the compound at the rear of the store causing an explosion in the electrical units.

Mr Goodlet said fires started in common closes and stairwells of flats are often the most dangerous as they can send smoke billowing through several storeys. This can leave residents choking for breath and panicking. It also creates havoc for firefighters as it fills the only entrance in and out of the buildings with smoke and flames.

Acting with police, fire chiefs are now vowing to do everything in their power to see pyromaniacs prosecuted.

He said: “The idiots who set these fires deliberately are putting people’s lives at risk. These fires have the potential to cause death.

“Also, if we are tackling these fires then we can’t be out there saving people’s lives. It’s a needless waste of resources.”

And he warned fire-raisers: “We have CCTV in fire engines.

“We also liaise with police to get CCTV from buildings and have used police intelligence.”

Last month, we revealed fly-tipping in Scotland now costs £53 million a year to tackle.