THE Scottish Fire and Rescue service have told MSPs that they did not give official clearance to any fire and emergency plan for the Mackintosh Building at the Glasgow School of Art while it was being renovated.

In a new submission to the Culture Committee of the parliament - which has been holding a series of hearings about the the June 2018 fire - Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said it had made the submission after hearing suggestions that it had given an official approval to the fire and emergency plan for the Mackintosh Building site, which was under the auspices of Kier Construction.

The SFRS statement underlines that it does not have an official role in the fire and emergency plan, and it does not sign off on such plans either.

A spokesman said: "It is solely the responsibility of the principal contractor to produce a fire and emergency plan.

"Engagement and consultation with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is not a statutory requirement of this process.

"Furthermore, SFRS does not approve or validate fire and emergency plans."

The SFRS provided the new document "for clarity, and confirmation, around the role and function of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service."

In June last year a fire destroyed the Mackintosh Building, four years after a first fire which destroyed the west end of the building.

The board of the Glasgow School of Art have said they will rebuild the world-famous building.

The SFRS are currently investigating the cause of the fire and a report is due this year.

It has not yet been publicly stated whether the cause of the fire was accident, arson, or impossible to discern.