Safety advice as Bonfire Night approaches

With Halloween over people are now preparing for bonfire night.

While most of us humans love them, the flashing lights and loud noises can make it tough and stressful for our pets.

Gilly Mendes Ferreira from the SSPCA says we should let dogs find their own space to hide if they need it., they will tell if they want comfort.

She added: "Make sure that ideally they're not left alone. Allow them that space and have somewhere they can hide away.

"Don't overly fuss them, just stick to your normal thing around the house.

"If you are worried about your animal, please contact your vet. They can prescribe something to calm them a bit."

She says we should bring rabbits and guinea pigs inside and give them extra bedding they can use to hide or burrow if they need it.

Other animals like horses, she says, should be stabled. Music could be played to help keep them calm.

But it's not just about the animals, we're being told to stay safe too and be aware of others in our communities.

David McGill is a plastic surgeon consultant, he says he sees a lot of burns and injuries at this time of year.

He's encouraging us to not hold sparklers near the lit end and to wear gloves if we do, but he doesn't recommend giving them to anyone under the age of five.

He also urges us to not pick up or light any fireworks we find lying on the ground or that we think have gone off.

Garry Mackay, deputy assistant chief officer at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, says: “The Bonfire period is one the busiest spells for our staff and our emergency service partners, who work tirelessly to keep people safe.

“They should be able to carry out their role without being hurt or having appliances and equipment damaged by reckless, anti-social behaviour.

“These actions are also an unnecessary drain on emergency service resources.

“We want to bring any emergency to a safe and swift conclusion – please respect our staff and all emergency services.”

Station Commander Paul Timmons was part of the crew mobilised to an outdoor fire in Ardrossan on Monday night when they came under attack.

He said: “A number of objects were being thrown at us by a group of people and something struck the roof of the appliance.

“This behaviour prevents us from doing our job. We shouldn’t be treated this way – it is unsafe and someone could be seriously hurt.”