FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon has vowed to put pressure on council chiefs over pest infestations in Glasgow schools.

The Evening Times exclusively revealed that primary schools on the South Side have had to be treated for pests such as bedbugs and cockroaches.

Information released under Freedom of Information legislation showed primaries in Govanhill, Crosshill, Pollokshields and Govan were affected.

READ MORE: Cockroach alert for city teachers

Ms Sturgeon said: “It is vital that the authorities continue to take a proactive and preventative approach as well as responding to requests for help.

"My office will continue to stay in close touch with Council officials to monitor the effectiveness of the steps they are taking.”

Our report told how since 2015 council schools have been forced to deal with 10 separate instances of cockroaches living in school buildings, with a further seven examples of bed bug complaints.

READ MORE: Cockroach alert for city teachers

While the statistics covered the entire city of Glasgow, only schools in the south of the city were affected by these two issues.

One school, St Bride’s Primary School in Strathbungo, accounts for around half of the complaints.

A member of staff at the school had said they were concerned for staff welfare and fearful of taking the problems home.

READ MORE: Cockroach alert for city teachers

Teachers’ union the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) called for more to be done to tackle the problem in the South Side.

But the council said that rates of infestations are going down in the area and that teachers are working with parents to try to tackle cockroach and bedbug problems at their source.

Landlords and local residents were also asked to assist in the battle to eradicate the pests.