A police probe is underway following a firearms incident in Midlothian which detectives believe was caused by a case of "mistaken identity".

A gun was fired at a front door within a block of flats in Mayfield's Keir Hardie Drive in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Neighbours were awaken by the blast at around 1am, but nobody was injured.

A police spokesman said: “We want to reassure the public that this was an isolated incident, and that we are following specific lines of enquiry.  

“We believe that the front door was wrongly targeted in a case of mistaken identity, and that a shotgun was used.  However, further enquiries will have to take place in order to establish the facts.

“We are appealing for anyone who saw any suspicious activity in the area in the early hours of Saturday morning to come forward as soon as possible.

“In particular, we want to speak to anyone who has noticed a purple Honda Civic being driven in the area, either on Friday night into Saturday morning, or over the past week or so, to contact us immediately.”

Anyone with any information should contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131, or Crimestoppers in confidence and complete anonymity on 0800 555 111.