A DISABLED man has suffered potentially life-threatening injuries after falling off a pier in his mobility scooter while carrying out a three-point turn.

Stuart Farquahar was strapped into the scooter when he fell into the icy waters at Pennan in Aberdeenshire - the village made famous as the setting of the film Local Hero.

Locals leapt into action when they saw him plunge over the edge shortly before 11am yesterday.

They managed to haul the man, who is a regular visitor to the village, to safety and kept him calm until a rescue team arrived at the scene.

The RAF Sea King Rescue 137 was scrambled and he was flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for treatment.

Thousands of film fans flock to the tiny fishing hamlet every year to see the setting of Bill Forsyth's 1983 cult classic Local Hero.

It follows a struggle between a US petro-chemical giant and the seaside village.