A lone Scots piper has played in northern France to mark the exact time the first British troops landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-day 75 years ago.

It signalled the time the first soldier stepped foot on Gold beach in Normandy at 6.25am on June 6, 1944 - 7.25am in France.

Pipe Major Trevor Macey-Lillie, from East Ayrshire, began the D-Day commemorations in France, performing Highland Laddie, a tune based on a poem by Robert Burns, on what remains of the Mulberry artificial harbour at the coastal town of Arromanches.

After his performance on Arromanches beach, Pipe Major Macey-Lillie of 19th Regiment Royal Artillery (The Scottish Gunners).said: "That was nerve wracking to do but I feel very proud and it was a privilege to do it."

It is said that the same song was played by piper Bill Millin on Sword Beach as his friends and comrades were slain around him on that day in 1944.

The haunting lament was greeted with huge applause.

Around 300 veterans have gathered in Arromanches for a series of events today to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

Pipe Major Macey-Lillie paid tribute to Mr Millin, who most famously, played Highland Laddie and The Road to the Isles while being shot on D-Day. He claimed that he later spoke to a captured Nazi sniper who told him they didn't want to shoot at him because they thought he was mad.

"He encouraged his brothers-in-arms to get off the beach while playing Highland Laddie," said Mr Macey-Lillie "The Germans thought he'd lost his mind and left him alone. He was marching up and down the beach, only armed with his bagpipes and a knife in his sock."

Pipers were officially banned from the frontline in WW2 because of the number of casualties in World War One.