A 15-year-old boy has been charged by police in connection with a suspicious blaze at a Perth primary school.
Firefighters were scrambled to Oakbank Primary on Friday evening, after neighbours reported a flaming pile of debris at the side of the building.
Emergency crews were called out again on Sunday night, to a similar fire at Viewlands Primary.
The two incidents, less than half-a-mile apart, came just days after Perth and Kinross Council shared a warning about plastic litter bins being set alight around the area.
Police Scotland confirmed that a teenager had been charged over the Oakbank blaze. He will be reported to the Youth Justice Assessor.
It is understood investigators viewed a Snapchat video of the incident, to help piece together what happened.
Education chiefs have confirmed damage has been assessed at both schools and they will be ready for lessons after the summer break.
A spokeswoman said: “Thankfully in this case no one was injured. However, it does not take much for a fire to get out of control and the consequences can be significant to life and property.
“We would like to offer reassurance that the schools will both be open as planned for the first day of the new term.”
Locally-based Conservative MSP Alexander Stewart, a former Perth city councillor, said the incidents were “distressing”.
He said: “This needs to be nipped in the bud.
“During my time at the council, there was always a worry that something like this would happen, particularly during the summer holidays.
“We need to look at what can be done to prevent incidents like this happening again. Everyone has to play their part, including Perth and Kinross Council and I will be in touch with them about moving items like bins away from school buildings.”
Liberal Democrat councillor Willie Wilson, whose ward covers the area in which the schools sit, added: “I would urge residents to continue to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
“In both cases here, neighbours were very quick to contact the fire service, who did a great job of preventing these fires from getting out of hand and causing far greater damage.”
Perth SNP MSP Roseanna Cunningham has urged the local authority to take steps to improve security. She has also asked police to increase patrols around the neighbourhood.
“Thank goodness these fires have resulted in limited damage and no harm to individuals,” she said. “We have been lucky so far, but what starts off as just mucking about can so quickly and easily turn to tragedy.
“With situations like this, there is always the danger of copycat actions and I would ask everyone, particularly those who live near schools, to be vigilant.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “We will work with Police Scotland to establish the cause of the fires.”
