Hundreds of convicted sex offenders in Scotland have failed to report their whereabouts to the police.

Between 2010 and 2015 there were 830 incidents when offenders did not notify the authorities about a change of address or give a required yearly update, new figures show.

A total of 259 breaches led to offenders being jailed, while 256 were fined, 88 were given a community sentences and 227 received sentences classified as "other".

In 29 cases, sex offenders moved from their usual home address or left the UK entirely without notifying police.

The Scottish Conservatives said current sentences for sex offenders breaking the rules on notifications are "sending out a dangerous message".

The Scottish Government said monitoring of sex offenders in Scotland is "tougher than ever before".

The Conservatives have called for tougher action, including for police to publish a list of sex offenders who fail to update police on their location.

Scottish Conservative MSP Margaret Mitchell said: "This would be a powerful deterrent as well as helping ensure that the public are protected.

"Sex offenders are given clear instructions about the need to notify the police of their whereabouts but these figures show that hundreds of them are simply ignoring these requirements.

"When these individuals still pose a threat, it is vital that we know exactly where they are so they cannot go on to commit further offences."

She added: "With many of them not even receiving custodial sentences for these breaches, we are sending out a dangerous message that we are willing to let many of them away with a fine or a slap on the wrist.

"This is simply not good enough and there needs to be tougher consequences for those who are flouting these rules.

"These are often dangerous and predatory individuals, and we cannot jeopardise public safety by allowing them to disappear."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "The monitoring of sex offenders is tougher than ever before, with greater police powers and a range of measures for high risk offenders - such as surveillance, electronic tagging, curfews, and restrictions on where they can go or who they can contact.

"Sex offender notification requirements are robustly policed so that those who breach their terms are identified at the earliest opportunity, arrested immediately and can face jail terms of up to five years."