Deliberate fires in Renfrewshire appear to be declining after concerns were raised about a spike in blazes.
Fresh statistics show the number of incidents in Renfrewshire in the final quarter of last year plummeted by almost 40 per cent when compared to the same period two years before with 95 recorded compared to 153.
The figures will come as a slight relief to firefighters who were forced into action at some hotspots last summer as incidents appeared to be on the rise.
Data for April to June and July to September showed intentional blazes had gone up by more than a quarter in both periods compared to the same spells in 2020.
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But it would appear the increased presence of officers is having an effect with a clear downward trend in incidents between the start of October and the end of December, according to a report presented to the latest meeting of the council's police and fire scrutiny sub-committee.
Councillor Mags MacLaren, who sits on the sub-committee, said she was particularly encouraged to see a decrease in her Paisley Northwest ward.
She said: “I was pleased to see a significant fall in the percentage of these fires in Paisley Northwest, accounting for 12 per cent of such fires compared to 27 per cent in the previous year’s report.
“I am aware the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has worked hard within this council ward to tackle the problem of deliberate fire setting and it’s great to see that work showing reward.
“I congratulated the officers at the meeting but would like to extend this to all members of the SFRS and the community who have worked so hard to reduce these fires in Paisley Northwest.
"Hopefully, some of their actions can be repeated across other wards and we can hope to see further reductions in deliberate fireraising across Renfrewshire.”
Between October and December, almost a quarter of all deliberate fires in Renfrewshire were set in the Houston, Crosslee and Linwood ward.
Twelve per cent of incidents happened in Paisley East and Central and Paisley Northwest respectively, while 11 per cent occurred in Renfrew North and Braehead.
Secondary fires - those that do not concern buildings or vehicles or involve casualties - accounted for 83 per cent of incidents during the period with refuse fires being the most prominent issue.
