A man and a woman have been found dead in a "shocking incident" at a house in the Scottish Borders on Boxing Day.

The bodies of a man in his 50s and a woman in her 40s were discovered at a property on Ladyrig View in the village of Heiton near Kelso at around 3pm on Tuesday.

Their deaths are currently being treated as unexplained.

Enquiries are ongoing with police and forensic officers attending the scene on Wednesday.

Formal identification is still to take place but police believe they know who the deceased are and have been in touch with their families.

A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.

Detective chief inspector Keith Hardie of the major investigation team said: "I would like to offer my condolences to the families of the man and woman who have sadly died.

"Whilst our inquiries are at an early stage and formal identification is yet to take place, we are satisfied we know who they are and we are providing support to their loved ones.

"Officers and forensic experts will be on site today carrying out a detailed investigation. The deaths are being treated as unexplained at this stage."

Superintendent Jim Royan sd: "We understand that this is a shocking incident for a small, quiet area of the Borders and we will have a number of our local officers on patrol to provide support to the community as well as the MIT investigation.

"I would like to thank the people of Heiton in advance for their patience and cooperation."

Anyone with information is asked contact the major investigation team on 101 quoting incident number 2012 of December 26, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.