More than 2000 people are dying every year in Scotland from smoking-related heart disease, according to a charity.

Figures released by Ash Scotland reveal that around 1263 men and 774 women died of cardiovascular problems caused by smoking in 2016.

The deaths that year - the most recent for which data is available - represented more than 13% of all circulatory disease-related deaths in Scotland.

The statistics show the "true toll" of smoking on people's heart health every day, Ash Scotland said.

The anti-smoking body said the figures actually understate the extent of smoking-related illness, since they only cover deaths, not smoking-related health problems such as high blood pressure.

Professor David Newby, the British Heart Foundation John Wheatley Professor of Cardiology at Edinburgh University, said: "These figures are shocking but sadly not surprising. Everyone knows smoking harms your lungs, but it can come as a surprise that it's even worse for your heart.

"Most deaths from smoking are caused by heart and circulatory problems, not lung disease or cancer. Smoking can break your heart."

The figures, obtained from the Scottish Public Health Observatory, have been released on World No Tobacco Day, which is this year focusing on the heart problems caused by smoking.

According to Ash Scotland, most smoking-related deaths are due to heart problems, but many people think of tobacco as only damaging the lungs.

Chief executive Sheila Duffy said: "With smoking rates static in Scotland, we need to see real action to save lives and prevent the heartbreak that cigarettes cause.

"That's why we're calling on the Scottish Government to maintain and inflation-proof the tobacco budget over the next five years."