HOUSE fires are on the rise in North Ayrshire with crews battling 83 blazes over the last seven months which saw 19 injuries.

28 of the fires occurred in Irvine, with 10 in Kilwinning and 13 in Saltcoats.

At last week’s North Ayrshire Police and Fire and Rescue Committee, SFRS area manager Jim Scott said: “Accidental dwelling fires numbers have increased slightly compared to last year. Hopefully it is a spike and we will see a reverse.”

The number of dwelling fires , which took place between April 1 to September 30, is up by 12 per cent compared to last year.

And the number of people who suffered injuries rose by 280 per cent.

Across Kilwinning, 72 fires were started on purpose while 93 in St evenst on were recorded as being deliberate.