Boys aged 13 charged over Glen O'Dee hospital fire in Banchory

Two 13-year-old boys have been charged after a historic hospital which featured on the BBC's Restoration programme was destroyed in a blaze.

The empty Glen O'Dee, built in Banchory in 1900, was hit by the fire late on Thursday. More than 60 firefighters tackled the blaze.

Police Scotland said the boys would be reported to the Youth Justice Management Unit.

Glen O'Dee featured in the Somerset Maugham book Creature of Circumstance.

Det Sgt George Nixon said: "While no one was injured a significant amount of damage has been caused and the consequences could have been far greater.

"We would like to thank members of the Banchory community for their support and assistance throughout this enquiry."

Glen O' Dee was built in 1900 as a sanatorium for patients suffering from tuberculosis.

The building was requisitioned by the Army during World War Two, and used as a billet for troops undergoing their training.

It was later converted into a hotel, then a home for the elderly before closing in 1998.

It later featured on the BBC's Restoration programme as locals campaigned to have it restored. However the campaign proved ultimately unsuccessful.