CUMNOCK and Doon Valley schools are among the most hygienic in Scotland.

East Ayrshire Council spent just £1,360 on pest control in 2016, with the bulk of it spent on removing wasp and bee nests. That compares with over £4,500 spent by neighbouring South Ayrshire and almost £12,000 in North Ayrshire.

Of the local authorities to supply figures, only Shetland has spent less on pest control since 2011 than East Ayrshire.

In that time, the council has spent £10,455 maintaining the school environment, or roughly £32 per school per year – less than the cost of removing a single wasps nest.

A spokeswoman for East Ayrshire Council said: “A significant proportion of the requests that the pest control service receives are to deal with infestations which are not of public health significance, such as wasps or bees, and which do not have any impact on hygiene standards within school premises.

"School employees are highly vigilant in identifying infestations early and treatments are therefore carried out with the minimum of delay to ensure pupil safety is protected.

“East Ayrshire Council has one of the lowest spends out of all the councils who have responded and, considering the fact that we have 54 schools and the figures cover a six year period, this equates to around only £32 per school per year which is less than the cost of a single treatment which is currently £45.

“The council has a strong track record over the full life of the council of investing in its schools as we recognise that a good school environment is one of the key factors in helping to raise pupil attainment.

"The School Estate Management Plan reflects a significant investment in improving the school estate and demonstrates the recent successful completion of a number of projects and the ambitious next phase of an extensive building programme for our schools.”