CUTS to services and “militarised police” only add fuel to the fire of Bonfire Night unrest, community campaigners warned today.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) received more than 1,000 calls on Tuesday night as fireworks were set off across the country, while Police Scotland said they had to deal with 18 incidents, including instances of firefighters and fire engines being “bombarded” with fireworks, bricks and bottles.

SFRS recorded two attacks on fire appliances in Edinburgh, three in Clydebank and one in Blackridge, West Lothian.

Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs said there had been “significant disorder,” adding: “In these affected areas, police officers and local authorities are sitting down at the table to talk about what we saw last night and will continue the work that’s been ongoing.”

SFRS deputy chief officer Andy Watt said: “These attacks prevent our crews from bringing any emergency to a safe and swift conclusion and can impact on our emergency service colleagues, including the police when they must escort us at the scene.”

FBU Scotland chairman Gus Sproul branded the violence “completely unacceptable,” adding: “There has been a concerning increase in the number of attacks on our members as police numbers, community engagement projects and youth services have been cut.

“The last decade has already left firefighters and other emergency services working under immense pressure without enough resources.

“Since 2010, we have lost one in five firefighters to cuts.

“We need to see this government commit to the investment needed to rebuild the fire and rescue service and invest properly in all our public services.”

Community campaigner Jim Slaven argued that cuts were not only hampering firefighters but driving the disturbances in the first place. 

He told the Morning Star: “Working-class communities in Edinburgh have been abandoned by the state. The only thriving businesses in our schemes are charities and drug gangs.

“We have seen vital services cut, community centres and social spaces closed or privatised.

“Those of us who live in these communities know what the problems are. We also know what the solutions are.

“But rather than listen to working-class people, the state continues to fund failure and middle-class missionaries.

“Then they send in a militarised police force, feeding the media’s desire for poverty porn.”

Mr Slaven said that the events of Tuesday night were “not only about rage and self-destruction in our communities” but also “about systemic failure, again and again.”