Vandals continue to torch bins in Greenock's Larkfield

Ward councillor James Daisley has previously spoken out about a group of young louts who were lighting fires in Burns Square and causing a great deal of alarm among nearby residents.  

Following his warnings, authorities cut down a number of trees in a nearby wooded area that was being used by the fire starters to conceal their activities, but the yobs have grown even bolder and are now starting the blazes in the middle of the square.

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A recent report to Inverclyde Council’s Local Police and Fire Scrutiny Panel revealed that in the last three months of last year over a third of the area’s fire setting incidents occurred in Inverclyde South West, the council ward which encompasses Larkfield.

In the three-month reporting period prior to that the ward made up just 17 per cent of the overall number.

Councillor Daisley, who represents Inverclyde South West, urged members of the public to do everything they could to assist police in catching the fire starters.

He said: “If you look at figures from the last police and fire scrutiny panel it’s clear that there’s been a huge increase in the last couple of months of wilful fire raisings in this area.

“I think the majority of that are these incidents solely.

“We’re still engaging with multiple agencies to look at this and community wardens are attending regularly.

“We’ve started to cut away the trees here in an effort to give them no cover that they can use as a place to light these bins on fire.

“I think one of the major things that needs to happen is that we need more reports when this is happening.

“The more reports we get the more urgent this becomes in terms of police and fire.

“I would urge the public to report it every time they see something, no matter if they feel like it’s repetitive or not useful. It’s very useful, it’s vital.

“They’re becoming more brazen, if you look at the site now it’s as if they just don’t care what they do, which is very worrying because what could happen next.

“It’s only a matter of time before real damage of time until real damage is done to property or God forbid human life.”

Area Commander David McCarrey is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's Local Senior Officer for East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde area.

He said: "We take a zero-tolerance approach to deliberate fire-setting. These types of incidents have the potential to cause injury, and even death, or cause devastating damage to our environment and properties.

“Our firefighters and community action teams have been, and will continue to work extremely hard, to engage with the public and promote safety messages.

“I would also ask parents, guardians, and carers to help by making sure that children and young people are aware of the risks and consequences of deliberate fire setting, and their impact on our availability to attend more serious incidents where members of the public may be in need of rescue.

"We will continue to work with our partners in a collaborative approach to do all we can to prevent this type of unwanted incident but would call on all members of our community to support us in achieving this."

When the Telegraph contacted Police Scotland about the issues, Inspector Paul Thompson said: ‘‘We are working closely with our partners in line with our Anti-Social Behaviour strategy to tackle this issue in Larkfield.

“It gives me great cause for concern is that the people involved in setting light to wheelie bins seem entirely oblivious to the extreme dangers involved.

“Officers from our Partnerships and Preventions team have been visiting Inverclyde Schools to make them aware of the dangers posed and we are working closely with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to carry out further inputs soon.

“As with all vandalism, it comes at a cost to an individual or the local taxpayers as a whole but most significantly it puts lives at risk.

‘‘I would ask householders to put their bins out on ‘bin day’ and retrieve them that same day. If there is a storage area for the bins, then please use them to help reduce the chances of them being wheeled away and abandoned or vandalised.

“Officers are carrying out patrols in the area and if anyone who knows who is responsible for these criminal acts should contact Police Scotland on 101, or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”