SAFETY concerns have been raised after it took three months to fix a school's faulty alarm system.

Labour councillor Robert Moran said he was flabbergasted to learn about the delay in fixing the alarm at St Columba's in Gourock, which went off on numerous occasions over a three month period.

Details of the incident were contained within the council's Annual Complaints Report, which was discussed by councillors at a recent Policy and Resources Committee meeting.

Cllr Moran told the meeting he was 'disturbed' by the matter.

He said: "I'm really disturbed and worried that it took three months to fix a school alarm which was going off repeatedly.

"Surely this type of security issue around our schools should be a priority?"

SNP group leader Chris McEleny also raised concerns about the delay in resolving the issue.

He said: "Surely there's a wider issue here. We had a secondary school that was left for three months without having a proper security alarm.

"Everything must be done to make sure our schools are safe and secure."

A council report says that the issues have now been resolved.

It added: "A council officer reported the matter to the school to raise the matters directly with the alarm firm.

"However, a further instance of the alarm going off on a Saturday morning occurred and the time to resolve was lengthy and a further complaint was raised."

After the complaint was lodged, an engineer was sent out to investigate the problem.

The report continues: "The council arranged for an engineer to attend the school to investigate the cause of the repeated activations, which were confirmed as a faulty door contact.

"The fault with the door has since been repaired.

"The external security firm who assist with alarm response and key holding at the weekend should have responded within a quicker timescale than they did.

"This matter has been addressed through the internal complaints process and the issues have now been resolved."

Carol Craig-McDonald, the council's information governance and complaints officer and Ruth Binks, head of education, reassured the councillors that robust security procedures are in place at all schools.

Ms Binks said: "My understanding is that every time an alarm goes off, somebody responds as there are key holders and secondary key holders."