SCOTLAND’S fire service is facing a “perfect fire triangle” of cuts which puts lives at risk, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has said.

FBU Scotland secretary Denise Christie made the analogy as she argued that the Scottish government had failed to protect lifeline services.

Six years ago ministers merged eight regional fire brigades into the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) which is now the largest organisation of its kind in Britain.