FALSE alarms are costing businesses and the fire service around £1billion each year, according to new research.

Firefighters in Scotland were called to attend more than 100,000 'false incidents' in the last three years, resulting from alarms which are often triggered by fire detection systems.

And today fire chiefs launched a new campaign aimed at tackling the "significant issue".

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has teamed up with partners, including the Association of British Insurers (ABI), British Approvals for Fire Equipment (Bafe), and Glasgow City Council to undertake research.

Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay, the SFRS Director of Prevention and Protection, said: "False alarm signals are a significant issue.

"So it's important we join with our partners to see them reduced.

"The scale of the problem is clear.

"Over the past three years Scotland's firefighters have been called to in excess of 100,000 of these incidents, which equates to more than 40% of all the incidents we attend.

"Not only is there a substantial financial cost but attending needless incidents also means firefighters and resources are taken away from their communities."

Each false alarm costs businesses around £2900, with around £300 of that falling on the Fire and Rescue Service.

Mr Ramsay added: "In a real emergency, every second counts.

"The time taken for firefighters to get to a house fire, a road traffic collision or any other incident can be absolutely crucial to saving the lives of people in danger.

"By working together with our partners we can gather information on the common causes of false alarms and identify approaches to reduce the number that occur."

rebecca.gray@eveningtimes.co.uk