A Scottish woman has been stabbed to death at a Christmas holiday resort in Lapland.

The 26-year-old was found dead following the attack in the Kuttanen region of Finland on Saturday.

Her 36-year-old boyfriend has been taken into custody after allegedly fleeing the scene on a dogsled.

It followed a wide-scale search on Finland's border with Sweden involving police on snowmobiles in temperatures as low as -30C.

The woman and her partner are understood to be seasonal workers employed by tour operator Santa Safari.

A spokesman for travel company Transun, which contracts Santa Safari to run events popular with festive holidaymakers, said: "We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of staff working for our overseas supplier Santa Safari was discovered dead on December 3.

"The thoughts of everyone at Transun go out to the family, friends and the Santa Safari team. We will do everything we can to support at this difficult time.

"Due to the police investigation that is taking place locally there have been some changes to planned Transun tours.

"For anyone whose holiday has been disrupted we will be in touch. We thank everyone in advance for their understanding."

A Police Scotland spokeswoman added: "We have been contacted by the Foreign and Commonweath Office regarding the death of a British national in Finland and will continue to assist them as required."