FIRE STATIONS across East Ayrshire are in an alarming condition, an MSP has warned.

Katy Clark says facilities across the area are falling apart and putting the public at risk.

Ms Clark, Scottish Labour's spokesperson on community safety made the claims this week after obtaining a shock report detailing the condition and suitability of 356 buildings across Scotland.

Released by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), under freedom of information, the report raises major concerns about the fire stations in Cumnock, New Cumnock, Mauchline, Muirkirk, Dalmellington and Sanquhar.

It describes both the condition and suitability of New Cumnock and Sanquhar as poor.

Dalmellington was also said to be in a poor condition, but was rated 'bad' for suitability.

While the condition of Mauchline and Muirkirk was described as satisfactory, their suitability was also given a 'bad' rating.

Cumnock was said to be in a satisfactory condition, but was rated poor for suitability.

The report also revealed that all six stations have few 'non gender specific" facilities, such as toilets, showers and portaloos.

None of the six stations were staffed full time. Instead local fire-fighters were on call.

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 percent assessed as being of “bad” or “poor” suitability.

The report also found that one in four stations across Scotland did not have showers for female firefighters.

The six East Ayrshire stations had the necessary facilities but Mauchline and New Cumnock did not have anywhere for staff to dry off after returning from a call.

There were also concerns over the age of Scotland's fire stations, particularly in East Ayrshire.

More than 40 percent are more than 50 years old with Dalmellington built in 1958, Mauchline in 1963, Cumnock in 1964 and New Cumnock in 1965.

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.”