Edinburgh's trams have made a profit two years ahead of schedule after passenger numbers grew by 10% in a year.

Bosses at the transport link welcomed results on Thursday which showed a pre-tax profit of £252,000 for 2016.

The city council's original business model had predicted the trams would become profitable in 2018 and forecast a pre-tax loss of £170,000 for the year ending December 2016.

Construction of the £776 million tram system was hit by lengthy delays before it opened in 2014.

Lea Harrison, Edinburgh Trams' managing director, said: "We're delighted with these results and they firmly reflect the growing popularity of the tram.

"Over the past year we've seen patronage increase by 10% and revenue rise by 12%.

"These encouraging figures have been driven by our move to increase the frequency of trams combined with our ongoing commitment to exceptional service.

"We've recorded industry-leading levels of customer satisfaction and exceeded the expectations of the initial business model, but we're not about to become complacent.

"We'll continue our efforts to further improve services and strengthen the tram's position at the heart of the city's transport network."

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Edinburgh city council's transport convener, said: "These are fantastic figures, demonstrating how popular trams have become.

"It's especially welcome news so soon after the capital's trams were nationally recognised for having the highest customer satisfaction rating of any public transport operator in the UK.

"Full credit to everyone at Edinburgh Trams for the sterling job they're doing."