A rally marshal has told a fatal accident inquiry fans screamed at him when he tried to stop the race because he thought conditions at the circuit were too dangerous.

John Clayton, 72, told the inquiry he wanted the February 2013 Snowman Rally halted because he was concerned spectators were standing too close to the circuit.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard on Tuesday they did not react well to Mr Clayton's actions, which came moments before a car hit and killed 51-year-old Joy Robson.

Mr Clayton, from Mull, told advocate depute Andrew Brown QC he was concerned about the large number of people attending the rally.

The inquiry heard Mr Clayton wanted proceedings at Drumnadrochit stopped in order to keep enthusiasts who were standing at "inappropriate locations" safe.

He told Edinburgh Sheriff Court: "That's why after 20 minutes I called it off. We did not have an incident at that point. But I felt as if I couldn't handle it. It isn't the easiest thing to do."

When Mr Brown asked Mr Clayton if people were screaming at him, Mr Clayton replied: "Yes they were. And at other events people are screaming at you because you are spoiling their fun."

Mr Clayton told Mr Brown he had contacted the rally stage manager to pass on his request.

He added: "I felt it was getting too dangerous. I was not happy with how things were developing."

The inquiry heard Mr Clayton's request to stop the stage resulted in cars that had not started being stopped immediately.

There were still six vehicles heading for the hairpin. The car which crashed was the fourth vehicle, driven by 31-year-old Graeme Schoneville.

Mr Clayton said he heard a bang and saw the car spiralling up in the air.

The inquiry heard the car went over the top of small trees which were ten to 15 feet high before losing momentum and crashing down onto where Ms Robson was standing.

Mr Clayton was giving evidence at a joint fatal accident inquiry which is examining the circumstances of the nursery teacher's death.

The inquiry will also examine the circumstances surrounding the deaths of three other motorsports fans at a separate event, the Jim Clark rally, near Coldstream in the Scottish Borders in 2014.