Fire-related injuries have decreased by more than a third across North Ayrshire, according to a new report.

In total, 11 people were injured by fires between April 2017 and March 2018 - down from a total of 17 over the same period the previous year.

A total of 145 accidental dwelling fires were reported to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) over the 12-month period, down 7% from 2016.

The drop comes as firefighters across North Ayrshire carried out 1846 home fire safety visits and handed out more than 1200 free smoke alarms.

The new figures were released in a report by the SFRS for North Ayrshire Council.

James Scott, SFRS local senior officer for the region, said early warning signs of fire through working smoke alarms are vital to reducing casualties.

"There is a clear link between fire-related casualties and accidental dwelling fires," he said.

"That is why we make such a concerted effort in the provision of home fire safety visits to ensure everyone has adequate fire detection in place.

"We want everyone to be safe in their homes and cannot stress enough the importance of having a working smoke alarm."

The report also found 594 deliberate fires were reported in North Ayrshire last year - down from 640 in the previous 12 months.

Mr Scott said: "Deliberate fires put unnecessary pressure on firefighters when genuine emergencies arose and could have placed lives at risk.

"These incidents are completely unacceptable. Every deliberate fire has victims, costs - and consequences.

"We take a zero tolerance approach to these incidents and work closely with our partners at Police Scotland in an effort to trace anyone involved in this unacceptable and criminal behaviour."