Residents in East Kilbride were left 'raging' after thugs set a pile of fly-tipped rubbish ablaze near their homes.
Firefighters were alerted to Abercromby Place in the Calderwood area of the town to extinguish the fire at 3.20am yesterday (March 2)
One resident feared the flames caused by the burning rubbish would spread to nearby homes.
She told Lanarkshire Live: "This rubbish was set alight through the night and could have caused catastrophic consequences.
"The house across from it, the man is housebound and this could have reached his property and our cul-de-sac is filled with cars. It’s a disgrace. It could have been 10 times worse. The fire brigade was here at three thirty this morning."
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Another concerned resident said: "I can't believe some idiot has set the pile on fire. I got phone call in the early hours from one of my dad's neighbours who was concerned about him. I'm absolutely raging, if only it had been lifted sooner."
South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) confirmed that they were aware of issues in the area and had planned to get the rubbish uplifted "for public safety".
Alistair McKinnon, head of facilities, waste and grounds services at SLC, said: "The issue in Abercromby Place in Calderwood was brought to our attention earlier this week and, to ensure public safety, the rubbish was due to be removed.
"However, there should be no doubt that those who blight our residential areas like this are putting their neighbours at risk and diverting cash and resources from other areas all because they think the rules don’t apply to them."
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman confirmed they were alerted to the incident at 3.23am on Wednesday (March 2).
She added: "Operations Control mobilised one appliance to extinguish a pile of rubbish on fire and make the area safe.
"There were no reported casualties."
