A recent fire incident in Greenock where a child nearly died has seen Scottish emergency service officials highlight the danger of combustible waste being left in tenement closes.
Murdo Henderson, Inverclyde group commander for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has raised concerns over dangerous and flammable items being left in these areas, saying "It is an ongoing issue that we have a great concern about."
Hospital for smoke inhalation
With no specific legislation that they are able to apply in relation to waste in domestic premises, the SFRS faces difficulties resolving this issue, with a reliance on the council to have the waste removed – often with an accompanying charge.
With no specific legislation that they are able to apply in relation to waste in domestic premises
Chief Inspector - Paul Cameron of the local police reinforced the issue, saying, "We have come across a number of combustible items that have been found in common closes. They're either blocking fire exits or they're blocking egress for people who live on the top floor to get out (of) the building."
He adds, "My worry is that if we don't remove this stuff, it may well go on fire and there's going to be a fatality. We had a common close fire not that long ago where there was a child taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.”
Number of combustible items
Chief Inspector - Paul Cameron continues, "We were lucky on that occasion that nobody died. I think there is a lot more work that needs to be done by all the partners to rectify this because it's still very much an ongoing issue in Inverclyde that I'm concerned about."
In response to these concerns raised by the emergency services, Cllr David Wilson has asked the council if, in cases where waste material poses a hazard, the charge for removal could be waived.