A schoolboy who lost four fingers after a firework went off in his hand has warned other youngsters not to mess about with pyrotechnics ahead of Bonfire Night.

Riley Luke was eight years old when he and a group of friends found the discarded firework near their homes in Paisley, Renfrewshire.

They were handing it around and trying to light it when it exploded in Riley's hand.

Riley, who is now 12, was left with devastating injuries that led to him spending two weeks in an induced coma in hospital.

In the run-up to this year's Bonfire Night, the youngster has urged others to be careful around fireworks.

"Just think before you do it," he said.

"Let your parents do it instead of you so you don't lose any of your fingers, hurt yourself, end up in hospital or lose an eye."

His father Scott told how the youngsters had been tossing the firework to each other on waste ground when the accident happened.

He said: "Eventually, Riley was holding it and when it lit, it stuck to his hand.

"He was trying to get it off his hand and then within seconds it exploded, which resulted in losing four of his fingers and a good part of his palm.

"His thumb was blasted back to his wrist, part of his hand wasn't there and he had fingers missing."

Riley was taken by ambulance to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow where he was in surgery for 14 hours.

He then spent around two weeks in an induced coma in intensive care with his hand stitched to his groin to restore blood flow.

He was released from hospital just a few days before Christmas.

After returning home, Riley had to learn to write with his left hand and needed help putting his clothes on and cutting his food.

He said: "I had to get my teacher to help me write. I thought about writing with my left hand one day and then I just got, like, better and better at it.

"I was colouring in with pencils in the hospital and that was building my hand strength up."

Four years on, he still finds tasks like tying shoelaces and fastening buttons difficult.

However, his father says he has not let it stop him from joining in on activities.

"He's head-strong, he doesn't hold back. He still goes and plays on the scooters, bikes, just anything that a wee boy does, he does too," Scott said.

"It's just a wee bit challenging."

On Bonfire Night last year, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said it received a total of 751 calls between 15:30 and midnight, and fire crews attended more than 250 bonfires.

Deputy assistant chief officer Ian McMeekin, who is head of prevention at SFRS, said Riley's experience was "a stark reminder of the devastating injuries fireworks can cause".

He added: "Fireworks are explosives and are incredibly dangerous if they've not been handled safely by an adult.

"We want to prevent fires, accidents and injuries from occurring in the first place.

"If you're planning on hosting a private event involving fireworks, consider the risks and always follow the Firework Code to keep everyone safe.

"Our community action teams across Scotland have been engaging with local schools to ensure pupils are aware of the dangers that bonfires and fireworks pose, and they will continue working with our partners to promote safety messaging."