Twisted pranksters are believed to have sparked a hanging body scare that saw police attend an incident in Kilmarnock.
Video emerged of the gruesome-looking find showing a body-shaped figure dangling from a bridge in the Ayrshire town.
The discovery shortly before 10pm last night led to an emergency response with police and firefighters racing to the scene after concerned members of the public dialled 999.
One onlooker said: "Unreal. It looked so much like a body and was obviously meant to. Both police and fire service were called out."
Mobile phone footage shows the 'body' dangling in the rain at the end of a rope from the Hurlford Road bridge above Campbell Street.
Police officers arrived in a patrol car as concerned passers-by watched on. However, it was found that the effigy had been created out of bin bags.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman later confirmed it was a false alarm and the package was found to be a "bag of rubbish."
She added: "Officers were called to a report of a bag hanging from the bridge on the B7038 last night around 9.45pm.
"It was a bag of rubbish."
