North Ayrshire residents are being urged to step up and serve as retained firefighters.

Ardrossan Fire station is calling for people over the age of 18 to be on-call to help with flooding, road accidents and chemical incidents.

The new recruits will need to be able to respond to the fire station within five minutes of being alerted.

The standard contract requires personnel to be available for, on average, 120 hours cover per week, although in some circumstances a 90-hour contract can be available.

Station Manager Jim Anderson said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for people to become a part of our fire service family, working as part of a close-knit team to protect our community.

"We are particularly keen to hear from those who can make themselves available between 8am and 6pm.

"This could be those who work shifts or those who, with the support of their employer, can be released to assist the public at times of emergency."