AN investigation has begun into how a double decker tour bus went up in flames near a golf course in Inverness.

City Sightseeing Inverness, the owners of the partially open top bus said it had launched a probe as locals spoke of at least three explosions on the A82 near the Torvean Golf Club.

The driver, who was the only person on the bus, managed to escape before raising the alarm.

Traffic Scotland said the A82 at scene was expected to be closed for "a number of hours" due to damage caused to the road's surface.

There were long tail-backs of traffic going east and west in and out of Inverness as the emergency services had to stop on the road to tackle the inferno.

Huge plumes of black smoke billowed from the burning and the acrid smell of molten metal and plastic could be smelt in the city centre over a mile away.

Freda Newton, managing director of City Sightseeing Inverness, said: "We can confirm there was a serious fire on a City Sightseeing bus while it was travelling on the A82 towards Inverness this morning.

"There were no passengers on board and the driver disembarked unharmed.

"The fire service and police arrived at the scene swiftly. We are now investigating the cause."

She added: "We apologise to our customers and the local community for any inconvenience caused and thank the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for the speed of their response."

Two Dutch tourists were on a service bus into Inverness and were bound for Inverness airport to catch their morning flight to Amsterdam.

Concerned that they would miss their plane, a helpful motorist drove them into the city, using an alternative route.

One tourist, who did not want to be named said: “It was quite spectacular and you could feel the tremendous heat from the fire.

“We were stuck in traffic and worried we would miss our plane until another motorist offered us a lift. But there was no way we were going to take the bus to the airport.

“So we will take a taxi.” he added.