SCOTLAND would be unable to cope with a blaze on the scale of the Grenfell Tower disaster because of cuts to the service.

Fire Brigades Union (FBU) Scotland official Denise Christie said cutbacks would leave the service ill-equipped to deal with such devastating incidents.

Christie claimed that that since the service was merged in 2013, Scotland had lost 700 frontline firefighters’ jobs since the creation of a single national service in 2013.

Christie said: “Questions have been asked if the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) could respond adequately to an incident on the scale of Grenfell. At its height, there were 250 firefighters and 40 fire engines.

“Since 2013, Scotland has seen over 700 frontline firefighters’ jobs lost and five out of the eight emergency fire control rooms have closed which has disproportionately impacted on women."

However, SFRS assistant chief officer Lewis Ramsay accused Christie of making "unfounded comments".

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “SFRS’s revenue budget this year of £259 million will deliver the high standard of services required to keep our communities safe, while an increase in the capital budget to £32.5m will allow vital investment in equipment and resources.”