Dispersal zones will come into force across Edinburgh on Friday to help tackle antisocial behaviour and disorder ahead of Bonfire Night.

The special zones will cover areas in all four corners of the city between 2pm and midnight from Friday November 1 to Tuesday November 5.

It will allow police to easily exercise dispersal powers within the designated zones, if required, under the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004.

Any group of two or more people deemed to be congregating and behaving in an antisocial manner can be instructed to move on and not return for up to 24 hours - or face being arrested.

Chief Inspector Murray Starkey said: "Police in Edinburgh have been working closely with our partners at City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service through the citywide Community Improvement Partnership specifically set up in response to the events we saw over the Bonfire period in 2017.

"Although the number of calls concerning antisocial behaviour dropped last year, and more significantly there was not the level of damage caused or levels of violence displayed from 2017, there were still pockets of antisocial behaviour, damage and disruption, which caused alarm and distress for our communities.

"This type of behaviour remains completely unacceptable."