A major rescue operation was launched on Wednesday after a man was seen plunging into water in Inverness.

The man was spotted going into the water from the Greig Street bridge in the city at around 2.40pm on Wednesday, sparking a large-scale search operation.

The search involving police, lifeboat, rescue helicopter and Coastguard personnel was stood down as darkness fell, with fears that strong tides had carried the man out to sea.

A spokesman for RNLI Kessock Lifeboat said: “Volunteers searched the harbour area and mouth of the River Ness before extending the search out and into the Beauly Firth.

"Conditions for the search were good, although water levels were very high in the river. While the lifeboat and crew searched the water, further volunteers assisted Inverness Coastguard by searching the shoreline around the harbour and marina entrance.

"As time past and with a rapidly falling tide the RNLI Lifeboat was requested by HM Coastguard Aberdeen to extend its search area out into the Beauly Firth. While RAF

"Rescue Helicopter 137 searched overhead, the three volunteer crew aboard The Moray Dolphin took the Lifeboat out into the firth and then searched an area from the Kessock Bridge out to Munlochy Bay and across to Alturlie point. Inverness

"Coastguard teams searched the shorelines of the Firth.”

Donnie MacRae, RNLI Lifeboat Helmsman, said after the search was stood down: "Given the rate of the water flowing down the River Ness, the ebbing tide and the time passed since the person was last seen, the search area was very quickly extended out of the harbour and into the Firth where we searched areas where people have been known to appear having floated down the river in the past.

"After two hours of searching both the shorelines and the water with nothing found the RNLI volunteers were stood down by HM Coastguard at Aberdeen who co-ordinate our search and rescue shouts.”

A Northern Constabulary spokeswoman confirmed the search had been stood down.