Business confidence in Scotland has fallen during September despite a rise across the UK as a whole, new figures show.

The latest Business Barometer from Bank of Scotland recorded a drop of nine points to -18%, while companies also reported lower confidence in their prospects, falling five points to -5%.

Across the UK as a whole, optimism rose one point to 2% as firms' view on their futures climbed five points to 13%.

Fraser Sime, regional director for Scotland at Bank of Scotland Commercial Banking, said: "Ongoing uncertainty continues to challenge many businesses, but there are always some sectors that can prosper in the environments we are experiencing.

"We are by the side of business and recently pledged to lend £1.6bn over the next year to support Scottish firms to capitalise on opportunities to upscale and succeed.

"Despite confidence levels dipping, we are optimistic that they will bounce back once firms get a degree of clarity over their future trading environments."

The survey questions 1200 companies monthly and provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide.

Across Scotland, a net balance of 32% of firms said they felt that Brexit was having a negative impact on their expectations for business activity, down six points on a month ago.