Safety warning after access attempt at fire-hit convent

Barriers have been put up around the property warning people to stay out

Police have issued a safety warning after an attempt was made to access the grounds of a fire-hit former convent.

The landmark Dumfries building was badly damaged in a blaze earlier this month.

Barriers have been put up around the property but officers were called out on Saturday after a group of youths was seen trying to get in.

Police said there were "obvious dangers" in accessing the building which remained "hazardous" following the fire.

Dozens of firefighters fought the blaze at the site early in the morning of 9 August.

They spent hours bringing the flames under control in what witnesses described as an "inferno".

Images later emerged showing the scale of the damage done to the building.

Despite the state of the structure, police said an attempt had been made to get into the property at the weekend.

They urged people to stay away due to the risks of entering the building following the fire.