A young child was lowered to safety from a window after a wheelie bin was pushed up against the front door of the property she was in and set on fire.

The three-year-old girl was handed to bin men who were in the area nearby, firefighters said.

Twenty-four firefighters responded to the incident at Royston Mains Crescent in Edinburgh at around 7.30am. An adult woman was also led to safety by the emergency services.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: "A bin had been placed against the front door of the property and set on fire.

"We used two breathing apparatus and one hosereel to extinguish the fire.

"A three-year-old female was lowered from the window into the care of bin men who were nearby prior to the arrival of the fire service and a 35-year-old female was led to safety by firefighters.

"They were treated at the scene by the ambulance crew but they didn't go to hospital."

Four pumping appliances, a height appliance and a fire investigation unit were involved in the operation at the two-storey building. Twenty-three firefighters and a senior officer were at the scene.

The fire investigation unit is looking into the incident, the spokeswoman said.