A convicted killer who absconded from Barlinnie Prison three days ago may be in South Lanarkshire, police have said.

The public have been warned not to approach Walter Bett, 39, who was last seen on Tuesday morning at Crow Wood Golf Club in Muirhead, Glasgow.

The most recent information given to police suggests he may be in Fairhill in Hamilton or nearby.

Bett had been on an external work placement from HMP Barlinnie when he absconded.

He was first jailed for culpable homicide in 1996 before going back to prison in 2008 for an attempted murder which took place in Hamilton.

Bett is 5ft 8in and has a stocky build with short receding brown hair and brown eyes.

When last seen he was wearing a black padded jacket, striped navy top, blue jeans and black Nike trainers with red laces and sole, a grey baseball cap and carrying a rucksack.

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: "Anyone who has seen or has any information as to Walter Bett's whereabouts is asked to contact officers in Hamilton Police Station via 101, quoting incident number 0965 of 31 October.

"In an emergency, please dial 999."