Deliberate blazes over last year's bonfire season saw firefighters called into action almost 400 times a week, figures show.

Fire crews responded to 1307 incidents in the four weeks leading up to November 5, 2018, causing appliances to be used almost 1500 times.

Dedicated Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews responded to 338 blazes on November 5 alone as control rooms handled more than 700 phone calls .

Assistant chief officer Ross Haggart is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's director of prevention and protection said: "Our firefighters and fire appliances are being mobilised to hundreds of completely avoidable incidents every year during the Bonfire Night period.

"A small minority of individuals are potentially putting themselves, our firefighters and innocent bystanders at risk of serious harm and injury.

"These incidents are a needless drain on our resources when we need to focus on responding to real emergencies - where lives might very well be at risk."

Fire chiefs say they will continue to work with communities to remind them of the dangers of deliberate fires.

Figures from Scottish Fire & Rescue Service say Scottish crew spent more than 24 hours attending the scene of deliberate fires every day during the four week period, with fire fighters called out an average of more than 60 occasions each day.

Of the 1307 total deliberate fires attended, 1117 were secondary fires within grassland, open ground or refuse and 190 primary fires, such as those within a house or business.

Despite this, there was an overall reduction from the same period in 2017 where 1454 deliberate fires were recorded.

ACO Haggart added: "We take great pride in working at the very heart of our communities to help keep people safe and I am pleased to see the continued reduction in the number of deliberate fires.

"However, we will never be complacent and we will continue to remind people that deliberate fire setting is a crime and that a criminal record can affect future life and job opportunities - a price that can be easily avoided."