Scottish police and firefighters attacked on bonfire night

Firefighters and police officers have been attacked amid a series of violent bonfire night incidents in Scotland.

Two officers in Sighthill, Edinburgh, required treatment after youths attacked their vehicle with bricks.

Elsewhere in the capital, in Niddrie, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at police and drivers were targeted with fireworks.

Across Scotland, there were five attacks on firefighters as the service responded to more than 350 callouts.

In Sighthill, police said youths targeted one of their vehicles with bricks, smashing its windows.

Two officers were taken to the city’s Royal Infirmary, with one requiring stitches for a head injury, while the other needed treatment for glass in their eye.

In scenes which echoed serious disturbances in Dundee earlier this week, social media footage from Edinburgh showed a motorbike gang racing through the streets with fireworks being launched along the ground, seemingly aimed at people and vehicles.

Police closed Niddrie Mains Road to traffic, where earlier in the night a fire had been lit to block the road to passing vehicles. There was also the remains of a temporary bus stopped strewn in the street.

Police Scotland said specialist officers had been deployed to the area of the city as part of the force’s Operation Moonbeam, and said there had been “reports of various incidents including anti-social use of fireworks, a break-in to a shop and road blockages”.

A Police Scotland spokesman urged people to avoid that part of the city amid the “youth-related disorder linked to Bonfire Night”.

The force spokesperson added: “A police vehicle has also been struck with a bottle containing a flammable substance – however, no damage was sustained and no injuries were reported.”

The Scottish Ambulance Service said: “Please avoid the Niddrie area of Edinburgh and locals please stay inside your properties.”

Shortly before 01:00, police confirmed officers in Niddrie had “successfully responded to the previously reported disorder incidents”.

Edinburgh City Council leader Cammy Day described the disorder as “disgraceful and disgusting”.

“It’s only a minority of people responsible for this inexcusable behaviour and I’m sure they will feel the full force of the law,” he said.

“It’s extremely fortunate that no-one was seriously injured as a result – attacks on the emergency services are despicable and reckless behaviour like this endangers lives.”

Official statistics from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) showed there were 1,025 calls during an eight-hour period on November 5.

Operations control staff mobilised crews to 356 bonfires, with firefighters attending 242 incidents in the west service area, 89 in the east, and 25 in the north between 15:30 and 23:30 on Saturday.

There were three attacks on the crews in the west and two in the east, the figures show.

It is understood there were no injuries reported from the firefighters.