Safety fears have been raised over a colossal north-east bonfire which attracts thousands of revellers each year.
The Gadle Braes bonfire in Peterhead is hugely popular in the community, and will go ahead tomorrow despite pressure to move to a more remote site.
The pyre – which now stands at around 45ft tall – is only yards away from local homes and has burned so fiercely it has cracked nearby windows in the past.
But last night, organiser Mark Alexander said the event would continue at the same spot as long as the community was supportive.
Mr Alexander and fellow organiser Simon Gemmel – who are expecting as many as 3,000 people to descend on the Gadle Braes after dark tomorrow – say that despite safety fears there has never been a major incident at the decades-old event.
He said: “It’s a community thing and it’s been here for 100 years. This year we said we aren’t moving it – we’re staying where we’re at.
“It’s bigger than before – over 45ft in height. We’ll be lighting it at 7pm.”
Mr Alexander said it had taken three weeks to collect the 4,000 wooden pallets needed to build the pyre and nail them together.
“We’ll have fireworks as well. That will be in a segregated area managed by a responsible person,” he said.
“We’d like to thank Zanres Takeaway and Maka’s Taxis for their donations.”
Last night, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesman, Duncan McKenzie, urged north-east residents to only attend sanctioned fireworks displays on what is the fire brigade’s busiest night.
“The SFRS encourage people to attend official, organised events which are clearly safer for all those involved,” he said.
“We would urge people not have bonfires at all and to only attend organised events because November 5 is our busiest time of year.”
Mr McKenzie added: “Call outs to unofficial bonfires can delay our response to major incidents.”
