Perthshire pensioner was swept into river in front of wife

Struan Robertson was trying to clear a hydropower device in Perthshire when he lost his footing

A 77-year-old man was swept into a river and dragged away by the current in front of his wife, his son has said.

Euan Robertson said his father Struan was trying to clear a hydropower device in Perthshire when he lost his footing and fell into the water.

Mr Robertson told the Courier that the incident happened on Sunday at the Pitcastle estate, Strathtay which his father has owned for two decades.

Police said inquiries were continuing to trace Mr Robertson.

Specialist resources including a police helicopter and drones were used to search for him on Monday amid "challenging" conditions.

Heavy rain and flooding was seen in parts of Scotland, including Perthshire, at the weekend.

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Searches around the river have been postponed for safety reasons, but Police Scotland said the situation would be reviewed on a daily basis.

Specialist teams have been searching for Mr Robertson since Sunday afternoon

Mr Robertson's son told the newspaper: "He was trying to clear a hydro intake from the Tay. It powers the electricity but it gets clogged up when the water is so high.

"He lost his footing and was swept into the river. The current dragged him away.

"I was in Perth at the time. My mother was with him when it happened."

Mr Robertson was swept into the water at Strathtay in Perthshire

Police Scotland said the incident was reported at around 17:30 on Sunday.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Inquiries are continuing to trace the 77-year-old man swept into the River Tay near Strathtay on Sunday.

"For safety reasons physical searches of the river and the river bank have been postponed. This is being reviewed on a daily basis and family are aware."

There are still 15 flood warnings and nine flood alerts in place across Scotland.