Police have launched an investigation after three suspicious fires were started along the same coastal path in Moray.

Inquiries are ongoing with officers working to establish if the offences are linked.

Emergency services were alerted to the first blaze at around 4.45pm on Sunday.

The gorse fire, near to Clashach Quarry in Hopeman, affected an area of around 250 square metres before it was extinguished.

Around 20 minutes later, a shed went up in flames within a garden in Grant Street, Burghead.

A third fire was then reported at around 5.55pm within Roseisle Forest, which resulted in around 100m of gorse being destroyed.

No one was hurt in any of the incidents.

Detective inspector Martin MacDougall said: "While no one was hurt as a result of any of these fires, they had the potential to spread and cause extensive damage and put the public at real risk of harm.

"All of the areas are accessible to one another by the same coastal path and so we are exploring the possibility that the same person, or group of people, were responsible.

"If you saw anything suspicious in any of these areas, or have information relevant to our ongoing inquiries, please contact police immediately."