People urged to stay away from Cairngorm wildfire area amid new 'flare-up'

People who are still trying to enter the exclusion zone around a wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park more than a week after the fire broke out are being urged to stay away.

It comes amid reports by local residents of another "major flare-up" in the area.

More than 100 firefighters have been involved in tackling the blaze, which started near Ryvoan Bothy, south of Nethy Bridge, last Wednesday.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said that despite road closures, signage and police cordons being in place, emergency services continued to receive reports of people attempting to enter the affected area.

Efforts to put out the fire - including helicopter water-bombing and ground-based activity - are expected to continue into next week.

Hotspots remain on the "challenging terrain" with Nethy Bridge community council leader Sandy McCook warning that a further fire had broken out on Thursday evening.

He said: "The fire flared up again - back to square one."

A "very high risk" wildfire warning remains in place across the central Highlands, eastern and southern Scotland until Friday.

Strong winds have the potential to reignite hotspots and spread the fire into previously unaffected areas.

The national park covers 1,748 sq miles (4,527 sq km) and includes parts of five local authorities - Aberdeenshire, Angus, Highland, Moray and Perth & Kinross.

Police Scotland said the exclusion zones remained "under continued review".

Closed and restricted areas include paths around Glenmore, Loch Morlich and Badaguish, as well as low-level routes including the Old Logging Way and routes providing access to Cairngorm Mountain, the Northern Corries, Meall A' Bhuachaille, the Green Loch (Lochan Uaine), Strath Nethy or Bynack More.

Paths within Abernethy Forest to the south of Forest Lodge towards Ryvoan Bothy also remain closed.

SFRS deputy assistant chief officer Michael Humphreys said there were still "substantial hotspots burning across a large and complex landscape".

"We are asking members of the public to continue staying away from the affected areas while these operations remain ongoing."

Highland Council convener Bill Lobban said it was "heartbreaking" to see the damage caused by the fire and urged people to "heed the warnings" from the emergency services.

Colin Simpson from the Cairngorms National Park Authority admitted it had been "really difficult for all of us who love Glenmore to see the events of the past week unfold".

But he added: "Nearby destinations such as Aviemore are still welcoming visitors as usual, and there are plenty of other attractions and areas to explore across the national park."