Police spent just five minutes searching a garage where a man's body lay for a month before it was found by his family.

Arnold Mouat's remains were discovered at his home in Bo'ness, near Falkirk, on August 5 last year.

The 64-year-old had taken his own life in his garage loft in early July but was treated as a missing person for a month.

Police spent a total of 40 minutes searching Mr Mouat's home after he vanished on July 7 and just five in the garage where his body lay.

In a statement, Mr Mouat's family said the last eight months had been "incredibly difficult".

"We have tried to come to terms with the loss of a loving father and husband," they said.

Officers failed to carry out a thorough search and did not record evidence properly, according to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc).

Commissioner Kate Frame said: "Clearly if the police had carried out a thorough search of the garage area it is highly likely that they would have discovered Mr Mouat's body."

The Pirc, which investigates the most serious incidents involving police in Scotland, has made a series of recommendations.

Police Scotland chief superintendent Matt Richards said: "I apologise on behalf of Police Scotland and once again offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Arnold Mouat.

"I fully accept the findings from the review by the Pirc and we will continue to work with them to ensure all the lessons identified are addressed and built into our search procedures and protocols, much of which is already in place."