All North Ayrshire householders are being reminded to ensure they have new interlinked smoke alarms in their home.

Every home in Scotland must have interlinked fire alarms by February 2022.

Interlinked means if one goes off, they all go off, so a resident will always hear an alarm wherever they are in their home.

North Ayrshire Council has been working to install the interlinked alarms in its housing stock.

However, there are currently approximately 1,000 council-owned properties where workers have been unable to gain access to carry out the required works.

There may be a variety of reasons for workers and contractors being unable to gain access – including concerns over Covid transmission – however it’s important that people allow access for the interlinked alarms to be installed as it may affect home insurance.

Councillor Jim Montgomerie, Cabinet Member for Green New Deal and Sustainability, said: “We understand that some people may be nervous about allowing people into their homes during the Covid pandemic, however every care will be taken to protect the health of our tenants, staff and contractors.”