Two sisters whose firm made millions of pounds selling fake diet drops and bogus cancer treatments did not set out to scam customers, a judge said.

Helen Buchan and Carol Wiseman, directors of Secret Diet Drops Ltd, claimed their products would help dieters shed pounds and give them an energy boost.

The pair sold bottles of the drops online claiming they "made you feel less hungry".

The company also duped vulnerable people into believing an apple cider vinegar "kills cancer cells and slows growth".

Experts found that the diet drops did not have the properties that were being advertised, and that any weight loss was likely due to the recommended 500 calorie, no alcohol diet that formed part of the Secret Diet Drops "system".

Trading Standards estimated the company made £2m through the sales of the imported products its first two years, charging £35 for a diet drops course and £6.49 for the vinegar.

The sisters, both from Fraserburgh, appeared at Peterhead Sheriff Court on Thursday for sentencing having previously admitted making false statements about their products.

Defence advocate Tony Lenehan, representing both women and their company, said they had never meant to deliberately mislead customers.

He said: "The genesis of this was a chance encounter with a friend of the two who started using these products in America and had found success with them.

"Helen Buchan is absolutely convinced because of her own experience that there is success to be found with this, whether it is a placebo effect or not."

The court heard that the pair bought their products in "increasing bulk" from an American supplier and used the manufacturer's claims to market them online. But no testing was ever done by the pair to confirm if the claims could be verified.

Aberdeenshire Council gave the company advice back in 2012, emphasising importance of the business backing up its claims after concerns were raised. The court heard Secret Diet Drops Ltd did make some "minor changes" to its website after the meeting, however misleading information remained online.

Trading Standards later carried out tests and debunked the supposed health benefits of the products.

Buchan, 49, and Wiseman, 48 admitted their company had advertised the diet drops and vinegar between 2013 and 2015.

Sheriff Andrew Miller highlighted the fact that the company had looked into testing the products but had not gone ahead with it due to the cost. But the sheriff said the women, whose assets have been frozen for a separate proceeds of crime case, had not deliberately set out to scam consumers.

Wiseman and Buchan were fined £9000 and given 180 hours unpaid work in the community as a direct alternative to jail.