Firefighters have rescued a cemetery worker who became trapped in a grave in Aberdeenshire.

The walls of the plot collapsed around the man as he was digging it near Kintore on Monday afternoon, burying him up to his knees.

His colleagues tried to free him but were eventually forced to call the emergency services.

Firefighters used buckets to clear the dirt and the man was treated by paramedics at the scene.

Graeme Duncan, watch manager for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in Inverurie, said: "The ground appeared to be very sandy and that's likely to have caused the sides to cave in.

"Others working at the graveyard tried to help him initially, before they called the fire service for assistance."