The blaze was seen spreading rapidly across the hill in Holyrood Park and police have urged people to stay away from the area.

A large fire on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh was likely started by human activity, fire chiefs have said. Emergency services were alerted to the blaze just after 4pm on Sunday, as smoke billowed into the sky from the extinct volcano in Holyrood Park.

A wildfire broke out on Arthur's Seat, the extinct volcano overlooking Scotland's capital Edinburgh, on Sunday, spreading extensively across the landmark which is popular with walkers and tourists and producing smoke visible from miles around.