The RAF has said it was responsible for a flight which sparked speculation over a "mystery plane" flying across Scotland.

Plane-spotters were left baffled by the aircraft which spent hours criss-crossing the skies over Scotland without landing.

The Bombardier Global Express, flight number GLEX, was tracked flying all over the southern half of Scotland on Tuesday afternoon, jetting as far west as Jura before looping back to circle over Ayrshire before passing over Glasgow and heading south to Dumfries and Galloway at an altitude of 40-43,000ft.

An RAF spokesman said the flight was a "routine" Sentinel mission - used for ground surveillance and mapping - adding "we fly, it's what we do".