INVERCLYDE'S fire stations have cost more than half a million pounds in maintenance over the last five years - with thousands spent on items such as solar panels and a lightning conductor.

Figures by the Tele under Freedom of Information laws show that the total repair bill across Greenock, Port Glasgow and Gourock stations since 2016 stands at £520,592, with 462 separate issues logged.

The data was finally handed over to us by the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service almost three months after the request was initially made.

It shows Greenock fire station had the highest upkeep, with a bill for maintenance works that included a £30k charge to install solar panels this year.

In addition to housing the fire service, the Greenock station is also the base for the police's underwater search unit and the local coastguard rescue team.

The coastguard wing proved the most costly part of the station, with a £51k bill for works carried out on its roof, lightning conductor and external lighting over the last five years.

The Greenock station had 218 issues reported, while Port Glasgow had 188, with a bill of £152k.

The smaller Gourock facility racked up the lowest bill, with 56 repairs/upgrades for a total of £169k, but the cost per job was more than three times that of the other two stations.

The highest charge incurred at Gourock was £33k, which was earmarked for ‘enabling works’ to facilitate an inspection by structural engineers.

They were called in to assess the timber roof structure over the station’s appliance bay.

At Port Glasgow, £25k had to be spent on concrete repairs, with a further outlay of £12,500 on replacing three front appliance bay doors and traffic lights.

Area commander David McCarrey says that the work will help reduce carbon emissions and increase financial savings.

He said: “The safety of the communities we serve, and the health and safety of our firefighters whilst protecting the public, are our highest priorities.

“To do this, we invest in the repair and maintenance of our 357 fire stations across Scotland to ensure our buildings and equipment are kept safe at all times.

“In addition, we aspire to deliver a sustainable SFRS, and we are working to deliver environmental benefits through reducing our carbon emissions.

“We are working to improve building fabric and insulation levels as well as implementing smart heating controls, power and lighting systems.

“In addition to carbon savings, these interventions will realise financial savings through improved efficiency in the way our buildings perform.

“We support the Scottish Government’s aim of 75 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.”