A FIRE-SPOUTING bagpiper from America known for his avid support for Scottish independence has been deported after attempting to enter Scotland.

Ryan Randall, 34, had been detained in Dungavel immigration removal centre in South Lanarkshire after flying into Edinburgh on Friday night.

Now Scottish Resisitance says it is planning to raise funds to pay for a flight to bring him back.

It is understood Randall was put on a flight to Chicago on Monday morning.

The kilted busker came to prominence after leading a pro-independence march on the day of 2014's referendum, with flames shooting from the top of his bagpipes.

He had been flying in to Scotland for pro-independence events over the summer and to perform in Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival, but it is understood he was told he needed a work visa rather than a tourist visa.

Last year, Mr Randall, who spends 90 days a year in Scotland, was one of six members of the Scottish Resistance, a nationalist fringe group, who protested inside the Spanish Consulate in support of Catalonia.

Fellow Scottish Resistance members have suggested the move is “politically motivated” due to his campaigning past.

Veteran street protester Sean Clerkin who has been organising protests over Mr Randall's treatment said that Mr Randall was intending to appeal his deportation.

He said: "We are extremely disappointed that Ryan has been flown back to the United States. This is abuse of his human rights. He should not have been deported.”

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “Non-EU nationals seeking to enter the UK as visitors are not permitted to work. Those intending to work in the UK require the appropriate visa to do so.”