The deaths of two workmen in separate accidents on the Forth and Tay rail bridges have been described as deeply shocking and saddening by railway officials.

Forth Bridge painter Robert MacDonald was killed when he fell 150 feet and landed on scaffolding. The 52-year-old from Harthill had been carrying out improvement works shortly before 9pm on Wednesday.

Just ten hours later, 44-year-old David Rodger from Cowdenbeath died after falling from a ladder on the Tay Rail Bridge.

The timing of the two accidents has now been branded a "horrible coincidence"  by bridge officials.

A Network Rail spokesperson said safety records on both bridges had been "impeccable". The last recorded death of a worker in a fall at the Forth Bridge was around 32 years ago while, in 1992, a worker died when he was clipped by a train. There have been no recorded incidents at the Tay bridge.

The spokesman said the Forth Rail Bridge had received a number of safety commendations from industry bodies, with worker security "taken extremely seriously". Both accidents are now under investigation.

Network Rail's Route Director in Scotland, David Simpson, commented: "It is with great sadness that we have received news of the deaths of two of our contractors who were working on the Forth and Tay Bridges.

"At 8.50pm last night, a member of the painting team working at the Forth Bridge fell from height and subsequently died from his injuries.

"At around 7am this morning, we received reports of an accident at the Tay Bridge. Sadly, this also resulted in the death of one of our contractors.

"These tragic events have deeply shocked and saddened everyone linked to these projects.

"Such events have become extremely rare in the last decade as a result of rigorous safety regimes on both bridges. An investigation into the causes of these accidents is already underway.

Our thoughts today are with the family, friends and co-workers of these two men.”

Both men are thought to have been working on similar repainting projects designed to reduce maintenance requirements on the bridges in future.

The Office of Rail Regulation's Director of Railway Safety, Ian Prosser, said: "Our thoughts are with the families of the two men involved in these separate tragic events.

"Our inspectors have launched an investigation into the Forth bridge accident and we are awaiting further details about the Tay bridge incident. We expect to investigate both to find out exactly what happened and quickly identify whether more should be done to prevent other deaths or injuries”

The Forth and Tay rail bridges are among the most iconic in the world, with construction on both dating back to 1883.

The current Tay crossing was completed in 1887. It was commissioned following the Tay Bridge Disaster of 1879, which saw the crossing collapse in strong winds, killing 75 people. Fourteen people died during the construction of the replacement.

The Forth Bridge was completed in 1890. It was the world's first major steel bridge and is still seen as a feat of human engineering, having been designed to withstand the weather conditions which resulted in the Tay Bridge Disaster.

There is no official record of deaths during the seven year construction period but studies suggest as many as 63 workers may have died.

Those bridges remain the ones in use today, however, maintenance is a costly and time-consuming job.

Scots regularly refer to seemingly endless projects as being 'like painting the Forth Bridge', following reports that operations to maintain the bridge's appearance were constant for 100 years.

The projects currently under way on both and Forth and Tay bridges involve stripping back decades worth of paint to replace it with a new, durable coating which is expected to last 30 years.