Firefighters left 'ill prepared' for wildfire by SNP

THE Scottish Government has been attacked for leaving brave firefighters ill-prepared to battle wildfires in the north and north-east of the country.

- By David Walker Scottish Politics Reporter

Years of underfunding the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) came back to bite as specialist equipment was not available to quell the inferno which took hold in the dry Highland countryside.

A lack of specialist resources was partially blamed for four wildfires which raged across Moray and Speyside over the weekend and continued to smoulder yesterday.

Ministers were told the fires must act as a wake-up call to prioritise investment in wildfire prevention and response.

Calls for helicopters to assist were rebuffed all weekend and only answered on Monday, the third day of fires, while the Scottish Government failed to trigger its emergency resilience room.