Wildfire risk very high across parts of Scotland

A warning of a "very high" risk of wildfires is in place across eastern and southern Scotland until Friday.

Temperatures hit a provisional record for Scotland of 35.1C (95.1F) at Floors Castle in the Borders on Tuesday.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has urged the public to take extra care in the countryside to avoid blazes breaking out.

SFRS was called out to tackle a farm fire near Kelso which started at about lunchtime on Tuesday.

Six appliances brought the incident under control. It is not known if it was connected to the recent hot weather.

Bruce Farquharson, deputy assistant chief officer with SFRS, said that prolonged high temperatures brought an increased risk of wildfires breaking out.

He said the weather patterns for the week meant southern and eastern parts of the country were particularly likely to face issues.

'Simple steps'

However, he said the public could play a "crucial part" in prevention by taking some "simple steps".

He urged them to avoid lighting fires outdoors or, if they had to, to check for restrictions or permissions required by the landowner and use a safe container that could be extinguished before leaving.

"We need people to be aware of how quickly things can get out of hand - the smallest outdoor ignition can spread rapidly and burn for days," he said.

"Therefore, we are asking people to act responsibly when enjoying the outdoors and please think twice before using anything involving a naked flame."

The SFRS said full safety advice was available on its website.