Evacuated wildfire residents allowed to return home

Residents who were evacuated from a village in the Cairngorms have been allowed to return home.

Nethy Bridge homes were evacuated on Friday night but Police Scotland said on Saturday evening that the fire was no longer considered a major incident.

The blaze has raged for the past 10 days and forced the evacuation of homes in the remote village.

On Saturday night, Supt Judy Hill, of Police Scotland, said there was "no longer the immediate threat which prompted the evacuation of properties in Nethy Bridge."

This is thanks to the efforts of "fire crews, gamekeepers, contractors, partners and many others over the past 24 hours," she said.

First Minister John Swinney praised the "resilience and tireless efforts" of those on the ground to bring the blaze under control.

He added: "I want to stress however, that the Scottish government, the emergency services and all relevant authorities will continue to treat this wildfire, as has been the case since its onset, with the utmost seriousness and necessary resources until the last flames are out."

Mr Swinney said a request had been made to the UK government for "military assistance in aerial support" and that he was awaiting a response.

A UK government spokesperson confirmed they had received the request and were "urgently considering what support can be provided".

They added that the "UK government will support however we can".

"This includes mutual aid from English Fire and Rescue Services and our National Resilience function," they said.

"We are already engaged with local teams on the ground through our permanent regional liaison officers."

Sandy McCook, chairman of the Nethy Bridge and Vicinity Community Council, said residents of the Cairngorms village could see large plumes of smoke from the wildfire on Friday before they were evacuated.

"Apocalyptic is the word for the pall of smoke that was on the go [on Friday]," he said.

On Saturday at midday he said it was blowing towards Aberdeenshire and the North Sea, but the flames were still "very plain to see" from the outskirts of Nethy Bridge.

Emergency services previously said significantly changed weather conditions, including stronger winds, had contributed to the unpredictable behaviour of the blaze.