Plumes of smoke rose into the sky as livestock were threatened at a major Angus fire.
Balstout Farm near Montrose was a scene of intense fire service and police activity throughout the day, as a shed containing almost 200 bales of hay caught fire in the morning.
A spokeswoman for Fire Scotland Dundee control said the shed was well alight by the time the service attended at 9.30am.
“It contains around 200 hay bales and it’s next to a shed containing as many as 500 pigs,” she said. “Firefighters were trying to evacuate the pigs.”
Two appliances were sent from Montrose and a further two from Arbroath. Around 80 swine were herded away from the fire, and a hose reel was used to control the fire.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Tayside Division can confirm we attended at 9.20am this morning after receiving reports of a fire at farm in Rossie by Montrose.”
The farm, off a private road near Rossie School by the A92, lies on the Angus Coastal Tourist Route near Usan and Lunan. The acrid smell of burning hay was thick in the air along the A92.
The farm’s owners were present as fire crews battled to contain the fire, but made no comment when approached by The Courier.