Vandals who threw lit fireworks at engineers working on an electricity fault in Greenock have been described as 'irresponsible and reckless'.

ScottishPower has urged vandals to consider their safety and that of its workers following the incident in Prospecthill Court.

The two men from the firm's distribution arm, SP Energy networks, were working on a fault at a substation around 6pm on Sunday when lit fireworks were thrown at them from the window of a passing van.

The pair, who were working on an underground fault on the electricity network, were luckily unhurt as one firework landed under their digger while the other bounced clear of the hole they had excavated.

The Scottish Fire & Rescue Service were called to attend and ensure the explosives were safe, delaying work to reconnect a small number of homes whose power had to be supplied by generators for a further 24 hours until a permanent repairs to the network could take place.

Graham Campbell, District Manager for the area, said the attack on his engineering team “beggars belief” and called for anyone with any information on the incident to contact the police.

He added: “No-one should face the dangers of lit fireworks when carrying out their daily duties, never mind when attempting to repair the electricity network in our communities.

“Imagine if one of these explosive landed in our excavated site or hit a live power cable. The consequences for our two engineers or those nearby just don’t bear thinking about.

“Given the time of day this incident happened, there could also have been children playing nearby. It’s staggering anyone could risk the lives of others in this way. We are providing our full support to the police, but we would also encourage anyone who has any information on those responsible to come forward.”

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Group Manager Mark Gallacher said: “This mindless act really does defy belief. It was irresponsible and reckless and had the potential to threaten the safety of the surrounding community.

“The people responsible are very lucky that there was no fire or injury to either themselves or the engineers.”

He added: “Attending incidents like this also delays our attendance at more serious incidents where lives could be at stake and the people responsible should take that in and think about it very seriously.”

A Police Scotland spokeswoman added: "Fireworks in the wrong hands can be extremely dangerous. Throwing lit fireworks is risky and reckless and puts people’s lives at risk. We want to make it clear to everyone that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated. I can assure you that appropriate action will be taken against anyone caught acting irresponsibly. Police enquiries into the incident are ongoing."