Police Scotland gave "inaccurate" information to a watchdog during an investigation into the use of pepper spray, it has emerged.

More than a third of similar cases the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc) examines have to be referred back to police due to "inaccurate or insufficient information".

Pirc commissioner Kate Frame has told the Police Scotland to take immediate action to address the issue, which she said has been a problem for four years.

It follows a Pirc investigation into the use of Pava spray - similar to pepper spray - to subdue a man during an arrest at a pub in Annan in March 2017.

The watchdog found the use of the spray was justified but highlighted concerns around inaccuracies in information provided by officers.

Police told Pirc investigators the man was sprayed from a distance of around 1.5 metres, no members of the public were in the area and no one except the man was affected.

However, the watchdog said CCTV footage shows the spray was fired directly at the man being arrested from a distance of around 30 centimetres.

The footage also showed members of the public were in the immediate area and two staff members said they were affected by the spray.

Police claimed aftercare was given to those affected but the man being arrested and others caught by the spray said this was not the case.

Ms Frame said use of the spray on the 27-year-old, who was later charged and is now serving a nine-month sentence for possession of an offensive weapon and resisting arrest, allowed police to arrest him quickly and safely.

She said: "When police approached the man they knew he was a violent individual who routinely carried weapons.

"When he began to struggle during the arrest the discharge of the Pava spray was justified in the circumstances, to allow officers to control the man quickly and safely.

"However, inaccuracies in the information provided to the Pirc investigation has again highlighted an ongoing problem in relation to the accuracy of information provided by Police Scotland."