A REGIONAL MSP whose area includes Inverclyde has hit out at the 'unacceptable' condition of the district's fire stations after all three were assessed as being in 'poor' condition.

Labour's Katy Clark highlighted recently published statistics showing that more than half of stations in the west of Scotland had been deemed ‘poor’ or ‘bad’ by the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service (SFRS).

Greenock, Gourock and Port Glasgow stations, which are all more than half a century old, were among those ranked in poor condition, with the released information also revealing that Gourock does not have a dedicated female shower area.

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Gourock’s suitability was ranked as ‘poor’ by inspectors, while Greenock attained a ‘satisfactory’ rating and Port Glasgow was deemed ‘good’.

Speaking ahead of a Scottish Parliament debate on Firefighters’ Memorial Day, MSP Ms Clark said: “On Firefighters’ Memorial Day, 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.

“However, these stats show that a number of stations do not even have basic bathroom or shower facilities.

“Some even lack a running water supply.

“This is not acceptable and puts firefighters, who are already exposed to dangerous fire contaminants in their day-to-day job, at further risk of developing cancers and other illnesses.

“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.”