A Fife MSP has called for awareness over new fire alarm rules.

Labour MSP Alex Rowley has warned that the Scottish Government has not done enough to inform people of the new law before it comes into place.

As of February 2022, all homes in Scotland should be fitted with interlinked fire alarms.

This means a smoke alarm in the main room of the house, a smoke alarm in every circulation space on each floor and a heat alarm in the kitchen.

These must be interlinked so that when one goes off, they all go off and everyone in the household is alerted immediately.

Houses with carbon-fuelled appliances like boilers, fires, heaters, and flues will also be required to have a carbon monoxide detector, this does not need to be linked to the fire alarms.

Mr. Rowley said: "These changes to the law were already pushed back as most people weren’t aware of it, but even now there isn’t wide awareness of these new requirements.

"The Scottish Government need to do much more to ensure people know what the changes are and how to go about sorting out installation."

It will be the homeowner's own responsibility to ensure their alarms are up to date.

The Scottish Government, in partnership with Care and Repair Scotland, has provided £500,000 to help vulnerable people make the changes, but Mr. Rowley does not believe this is being utilised.

"We have seen that only 800 people have benefitted so far from the £500,000 government funding pot made available to help meet those costs," he said.

"I would encourage anyone that is eligible for support to check if you can get help with the costs. The funding is available for older and disabled homeowners who meet the government criteria."

Around 35,000 houses in Scotland qualify for funding; eligibility can be checked on the Scottish Government website.