Several fire crews were attacked as they dealt with more than 350 bonfires on their busiest night of the year.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) handled 882 calls from members of the public during the late afternoon and evening of November 5.

Fire crews responded to around 359 bonfires between 3.30pm and 11.30pm on Tuesday, November 5.

Crews also reported being attacked six times over the course of the night but no firefighters were seriously injured.

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Assistant Chief Officer John Dickie, SFRS director of response and resilience, condemned the attacks on crews.

He said: “Any number of attacks on emergency service responders is completely unacceptable.

“This type of behaviour not only prevents our crews from bringing any emergency to a safe and swift conclusion but it can impact on our emergency service colleagues including the police when they have to escort us at the scene.”

SFRS had appealed to people to attend organised events rather than “do-it-yourself fireworks displays” or illegal bonfires.

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Assistant Chief Officer Dickie said: “Bonfire Night is our busiest night of the year by far, and indeed it tops off one of our busiest four-week periods in the year.

“In addition to attending the numerous deliberate fires and bonfires, our firefighters continued to respond to the full range of emergencies we face day-to-day.

“Our frontline crews and Operations Control personnel and support staff have shown extreme dedication over this period and I would like to pay tribute to their professionalism, skill and hard work which enabled them to help protect communities.

“In addition, I must thank our partners and indeed communities across Scotland for their assistance and support.”

Firefighters dealt with an overall estimated total of 665 incidents over the course of the night.

Police Scotland meanwhile said they received 667 reports of incidents involving fireworks on Tuesday – compared to 738 on November 5, 2018 – and 73 incidents on Monday, down from 164 on the same date the previous year.

Four men were arrested in connection with incidents in the Greater Glasgow area on both nights while two teenage girls, aged 15 and 17, were arrested in Edinburgh over breaches of dispersal orders.

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Last year the service launched Operation Moonbeam to tackle disorder after a rise in incidents of emergency services being targeted.

Assistant Chief Constable Kenny MacDonald, commander for the operation, said: “While I am delighted that firework-related incidents have fallen across the country, in comparison to the previous year, I want to assure our communities that we will not become complacent in our efforts to reduce these incidents further next year.

“While the overwhelming majority of people in Scotland chose to enjoy Bonfire Night at an approved display, or responsibly discharge fireworks at their homes, there is still a worrying minority of individuals who think it is acceptable to use fireworks to cause disorder on our street.

“Let me make it clear, this is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.

“I am pleased to report that we have received no reports of police officers or other emergency service personnel being injured over the past couple of evenings, however, there have still been some instances where police vehicles, fire engines and ambulances have been targeted.

“A number of arrests for the various incidents which took place have already been made and local policing teams will now progress inquiries to identify those involved in firework-related crime.

“We are committed to keeping the public, our emergency service colleagues, and of course, our own officers safe.”