Seven arrests after paramedics attacked with fireworks and police van set alight during Bonfire Night violence

At least seven people have been arrested across Scotland after a police vehicle was set alight and officers and paramedics were attacked with fireworks.

In an update on Friday morning on what Police Scotland described as its biggest operation since US President Donald Trump's visit last year, the force said it made the arrests in response to Bonfire Night violence in parts of the country.

Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service were responding to a report of an injured man in Glasgow shortly before 8pm on Thursday when both crews were targeted with fireworks, the force said.

An ambulance worker and a police officer suffered minor injuries, and a police van was set alight and seriously damaged.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested, the force said.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it received 1,172 calls between 5.30pm and 11.30pm on Thursday, and attended more than 767 incidents, including 335 bonfires.

Firefighters attending to bin fires in the south of Edinburgh were forced to withdraw as they faced anti-social behaviour, while police officers were targeted in other areas of the city.

One person, who did not want to be named, told the Press Association: "They're setting fire in the park and shooting fireworks at the police and firemen."

Fire crews were also attacked in the Knightswood and Castlemilk areas of Glasgow, Cumnock in Ayrshire, Larkhall in South Lanarkshire and also in Blackridge, West Lothian.

They escaped without injuries and no serious damage was caused to their appliances, Police Scotland said.

Fireworks were also thrown at members of the public in Clydebank. Police officers were targeted when they arrived at the scene.

The incidents came as a large co-ordinated police response called Operation Amberlight was launched to deal with the disorder.

Officers from forces across England and Wales, including as far afield as Avon & Somerset, South Wales and Hertfordshire, were deployed to assist Police Scotland.

Chief Superintendent David Robertson said the policing operation was "one of the most complex and demanding deployments in recent memory".

"The communities of Scotland have overwhelmingly showed their commitment to enjoying both Halloween and Bonfire Night in the proper spirit," he said.

"Nevertheless, we have seen, yet again, an unacceptable number of incidents where the police and our emergency service colleagues have been attacked with fireworks and other projectiles.

"This resulted in one of our officers and a colleague from the Scottish Ambulance Service sustaining minor injuries.

"This simply must stop. Police officers, ambulance staff and firefighters are there to protect communities - not to be the target of violence."

"Thorough investigations will now take place to identify those responsible and bring them to justice," he added.

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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 in Romford, east London, 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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