Renfrewshire Resident has message for youths after fires set

Mark Crichton Maitland, from the village, says he came across a fire in July that had appeared to be burning for ten days.

With children about to return to school, Mark is asking those in the area to refrain from setting fires after noticing a peak during the holidays.

He said: "Lighting fires and leaving them is just silly and anti-social. This was the second fire over the school holidays, which hasn’t been that long.

"It's not clever, had it been a hot summer it would be a serious problem.

"This seems to be a school holidays issue, I get that kids are allowed to roam, they are entitled to walk in the woods but they should leave them how they found it."

Debris from the fires (Image: Supplied) He is urging parents who smell smoke on their children to be aware of these events.

Mark says this is the second fire in the woodland he has come across and is asking children to be respectful of their natural environment.

Scottish Fire and Rescue have attended the woods on two occasions, on July 16 and July 25, both incidents they have confirmed as grass fires.

More debris from the fires (Image: Supplied) Mark added: "If the kids go into the woods I would say don’t light fires and leave any footprints.

"You can come back and pitch your tents and enjoy yourself but I want the fires out and for them to take their rubbish away.

"We have better things to do than clear up after other people's children."

Kevin Murphy is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Local Senior Officer for East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde.

He said: “We would urge parents and carers to help young people understand the risks and consequences of deliberate fire setting.

“These types of incidents, such as the two recent examples in Houston, are a needless drain on our resources and they can have a damaging impact on the area.

“Our firefighters will continue to engage with our local partner agencies, such as Police Scotland and the local authority, on prevention measures engaging directly with young people.”