THIS DIDN'T NEED TO BE SO BAD

Firefighter says lack of engines caused delay that led to entire row of homes being destroyed

- ANDREA LAMBROU

A FIREFIGHTER who tackled a blaze which destroyed six family homes has blasted frontline budget cuts. 

Backing claims by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) that the impact of the Lanarkshire inferno would have been “significantly reduced” without the cuts, he said a 10-minute delay in response time caused the loss of six homes.

Residents in East Kilbride have rallied to help the heartbroken families affected after a small fire in an upstairs bedroom ripped through six terraced homes in the town’s Whitelee last Friday. There are no reports of casualties.