Deliberate fires shot up by more than a quarter during the spring months in Renfrewshire, fresh statistics show.
A report from Scottish Fire and Rescue states there were 236 incidents recorded between the start of April and the end of June this year - a spike of 27 per cent compared to the same period in 2020, when there were 186 recorded.
The Paisley Northwest ward accounted for the largest proportion of intentional blazes with 46 recorded in the area, which equated to 19 per cent of all incidents.
It is the highest figure recorded in the spring months in Renfrewshire since 2017/18, with most firebugs choosing to strike between 6pm and 8pm.
Councillor Kenny MacLaren, who represents Paisley Northwest, said he and his wife Mags - who is also an elected member for the ward - have raised concerns about arsonists repeatedly.
He has called for a longer-term strategy to be set out to tackle the issue which has regularly plagued the area.
"Both Mags and myself regularly raise concerns about the figures for Paisley Northwest and previously there has been some targeted action which has helped, but only in the short term," said Councillor MacLaren.
"It is a concern the figures across Renfrewshire are rising again, and that Paisley Northwest seems to account for a large proportion of these fires.
"There has been speculation this is due to the size of the ward, the number of open spaces and even neglected industrial units.
"There always seems to be a spike in fires during school holidays and I know it's an issue the fire service has been looking into for a while. Some of the fires are caused by youths starting small bonfires which get out of control quickly, especially when the weather is hot.
"Mags is attending the meeting next week and she will be raising the issue again to see if we can get some more initiatives in place to try and tackle this for the longer term."
The report - due to be discussed by the Renfrewshire Council's police and fire scrutiny sub-committee next Tuesday - shows most of the incidents were secondary fires which generally involve rubbish, grassland or derelict buildings where no one has been hurt.
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Other figures included in the papers showed accidental dwelling fires went up by 26 per cent during the three-month spell with 48 recorded compared to 38 the previous year.
Almost a quarter of the incidents occurred in the Johnstone North, Kilbarchan, Lochwinnoch and Howwood ward while a third happened across the two Renfrew wards, with cooking being the most common source of fires.
Meanwhile, non-fire casualties went up by two-thirds from 15 during April to June 2020 to 24 in the same period this year. The figure included two deaths and three incidents that involved serious injuries.
Fifteen of the casualties occurred as a result of road crashes, while nine were recorded as part of the fire service assisting other agencies.
