Pensioners are being urged to not hand over hundreds of pounds for new fire alarms after leaflets were circulated across the area

New laws which requires all homeowners and landlords to pay out for new interlinked smoke alarms will be delayed until 2022.

The moves, which also include new rules on carbon monoxide alarms, follow criticism over the lack of public awareness.

MSPs will now be asked to approve a 12-month delay – after uncertainty over the plans and complaints from pensioners of being phoned up by the company.

At last week’s Police and Fire and Rescue committee, chair Cllr John Glover, asked for clarification from the Scottish Fire and Rescue service after residents complained of having to pay out the money.

Kenny.Hankinson of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service told councillors: “The company that put the leaflets out, they managed to do it under the Scottish Government banner and got to use the logo on these leaflets, but it is not mandatory and legislative at the moment.

“The fire service are fitting them to the standard we’ve fitted them for the last couple of years. We are moving things forward with a greater level of protection for high risk properties, but not for every single property moving forward.

“The standard they are alluding to by February has not been fully signed off yet and the funding is not fully behind it either because obviously the fire service do not have a stock of heat detectors, carbon monoxide detectors or smoke detectors for that matter that are linked.

“At the moment the company has been told to desist from putting these leaflets out until we get the final say from the Scottish Government.”

Cllr Donald L Reid said that he understood it had been put back to 2022 due to the difficulties due to COVID-19, adding that he hoped for better clarification in that time.