A dog has been rescued after leaping off a cliff near a famous castle in Aberdeenshire.

Scarlett the puggle - a cross breed between a beagle and a pug - injured her leg in the fall close to Slains Castle on Saturday.

A member of Banff coastguard team was lowered down the cliff to retrieve the small dog at around 6pm on Saturday.

The operation was successful despite Scarlett's rescuer encountering a large dead snake at the bottom.

A spokesman said: "An officer trained in cliff Rescue was lowered to the dog and she was recovered successfully to the clifftop and her owners.

"They did exactly the right thing and instead of trying to rescue their pet."

Slains Castle - which was awarded Grade B status last week - is famous for being the possible inspiration for Dracula's home in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel.

The ruins of New Slains, which sit atop a cliff near Cruden Bay, are believed to have been visited by the author in the 1890s.