Brick and bottle attack on firefighters ‘completely unacceptable’, says force

Firefighters had to withdraw from tackling a blaze after coming under attack from youths hurling bricks and bottles.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has condemned the behaviour of those responsible as “completely unacceptable”.

Firefighters had been called out to a fire in a woodland area in Fauldhouse, West Lothian, on Monday evening when the attack took place.

With the group of youths throwing bricks and bottles at them, they had to withdraw from the scene while they waited for Police Scotland.

After officers arrived, the fire service were able to extinguish the flames, with the force adding that none of its crew were injured in the incident.

SFRS group commander, Steven Michie, said: “I would like to stress that this behaviour – by a very small minority of individuals – is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

“Wherever possible we will identify those responsible and pass that information to our police partners.”

He added that being involved in attacks on firefighters “can have serious consequences for those involved” and can “even affect future employment prospects due to having a criminal record”.

He continued: “Fortunately, there were no injuries to firefighters or damage to the fire engine in attendance at this incident.

“But this type of behaviour cannot be condoned, and we would urge the majority of law-abiding residents to alert the police to any such reckless activity.”