Over 500,000 acres of land in Scotland are now in community ownership, the government has revealed.

Cabinet Secretary for Land Reform Roseanna Cunningham confirmed it breaks the half way mark on the million acres target set in 2013.

Ms Cunningham said: "Land ownership by communities has been going from strength to strength and there are some impressive examples of community buyouts throughout the country especially in the islands, including the Pairc Trust in South East Lewis that has helped us reach the half way mark in our ambition to ensure that one million acres in Scotland are in the hands of communities and working to the benefit of all.

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"We remain ambitious, and today’s milestone marks only the half-way point on our journey to ensuring that one million acres moves into community hands – but it is an encouraging and important step forward in our land reform journey."

(CD)