Police and paramedics attacked with fireworks while responding to injured person

Police and paramedics were attacked with fireworks as they tried to reach an injured man, with a police vehicle also set alight.

Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service were responding to a report of an injured man in Glasgow shortly before 8pm on Thursday.

Both crews were targeted with fireworks which resulted in a police vehicle being set alight and seriously damaged, Police Scotland said.

An ambulance worker suffered a minor injury and a male has been arrested, the force added, with inquiries ongoing.

Firefighters attending to bin fires in the south of Edinburgh were also forced to withdraw as they faced anti-social behaviour.

The bins were knocked into the road and set on fire on Thursday evening in the Oxgangs area of the city.

Officers attended the scene, where a group of youths had reportedly blocked the road. Fireworks were set off in their direction, but no injuries have been reported, police said.

The incidents came as a large co-ordinated police operation was launched to deal with disorder on Bonfire Night, known as Operation Amberlight.

Public order officers from across England and Wales, including in Avon & Somerset, South Wales and Hertfordshire were deployed to assist with the action.

It is the biggest deployment of officers since the visit of US President Donald Trump last year, according to Police Scotland.

Calls for tougher regulations on fireworks have increased in recent years, as campaigners have raised concerns about fireworks being abused and the impact of loud noise on pets.

In 2021, Josephine Smith, 88, died from smoke inhalation after two teenagers posted a lit firework through her letterbox, setting her home ablaze.

The government has proposed taking the noisiest fireworks off the market by reducing the permitted decibel level of consumer fireworks from 120dB to 110dB.

Some especially high-risk or "nuisance fireworks" are banned from sale to the general public, but are available to professionals, according to the Office for Product Safety & Standards.

The government says an outright ban on the public buying or using fireworks would not be proportionate.

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