AN AYRSHIRE MSP has raised the alarm over the state of the area's ageing fire stations, claiming they are falling apart and putting the public at risk.

Katy Clark, Scottish Labour's spokesperson for community safety, uncovered shock details showing the conditions and suitability of 356 buildings across Scotland.

The report, obtained from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) under freedom of information rules, raises major concerns about the fire stations in Ayr, Troon, Maybole, Girvan, Dalmellington and Colmonell.

It describes both the condition and suitability of Maybole, Troon and Girvan as poor.

Dalmellington is also in a poor condition, with its suitability, and that of Colmonnell station, near Girvan, described as bad.

While Ayr is said to be in a good condition, its suitability is also rated as poor.

The report also highlighted the lack of 'gender neutral' facilities at fire stations such as toilets, showers and portaloos.

Of the five stations in South Ayrshire, Ayr is the only one to be staffed 24 hours a day, with the rest run by on call staff.

Ms Clark, who is also an MSP for the West Scotland region, commented: “It is astounding to see the extent to which Scotland’s fire estate is falling apart.

“Firefighters, who work so hard to ensure the safety of people in our communities, need to be well equipped, well-resourced, well protected and well paid to do the job they do.

"The Scottish Government has had 15 years to modernise the estate. The real terms cuts in that time do not occur in a vacuum – they affect response times to emergency incidents, putting the public at risk.

“These figures must be a wake-up call – it’s time to modernise Scotland’s crumbling fire estate.”

In the SFRS report half of Scotland stations are described as being in “bad” or “poor” condition, with a further 47 per cent assessed as being of “bad” or “poor” suitability.

The report found that one in four stations across Scotland have no shower facilities for female firefighters - though all five in South Ayrshire had them in place.

The report also revealed concerns over the age of many of our fire stations - particularly in South Ayrshire.

More than 40 per cent of Scottish fire stations are 50 years old or more, with Girvan being built in 1955, Dalmellington in 1958, Maybole in 1960 and Ayr in 1963.

Iain Morris, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service acting director of asset management, said: "The safety and welfare of our staff who serve communities across Scotland remains a priority for us.

"We are fully committed to addressing any challenges around the repair and maintenance of our buildings as we work tirelessly to balance our budget.

“We recognise that there are a number of fire stations where there are limited welfare facilities. These are already identified within our ongoing capital investment requirements and plans."

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Effective fire safety remains a priority for the Scottish Government and we have continued our commitment to support service delivery and reform with an increase of £14.4m in budget cover for SFRS in 2023-24.

“Decisions on the allocation of resources from the Scottish Government are a matter for SFRS and we will continue to work closely with them to identify the funding they need.”