Firefighters were called to reports of a “deliberate” blaze near a Dundee playpark.

One appliance was dispatched to Ashmore Street at around 2pm on Saturday.

Neighbours said smoke began billowing from the Hillocks green space in Kirkton.

Crews used buckets of water at the scene to make the area safe before standing down.

Speaking with The Courier one woman said firefighters were regularly attending in their street to tackle “deliberate” blazes.

‘Firies here two or three times a week’

She said: “We’re getting angry that this keeps happening, although the fire quickly died out there was thick smoke just before 2pm.

“People have challenged some of the kids involved previously in these deliberate fires at the Hillocks.

“They can only be about primary school age, you get the height of abuse volleyed back at you when you confront them.

“Stones have been thrown at cars in retaliation to them being challenged.

“We’ve got firies here two or three times a week at the moment.”

The woman said play equipment near the blaze on Saturday had been damaged previously in a similar incident.

She added: “The playpark at the Hillocks was closed for months because one piece of apparatus was damaged in a fire.

“Eventually someone just took bolt cutters to the padlock and opened it back up but you can still see where the damaged is.”

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Fire Rescue Service confirmed they received they stop message at 2.19pm.

The incident comes just weeks after police launched a probe into firebugs damaging another nearby play area at Ambleside Avenue.

Police Scotland has been approached for comment about the blaze on Saturday.