A gold drilling project in South Ayrshire has been given a further £697,690 in funding.

Turkey's largest mining firm, Koza Ltd, has announced plans to fund the programme near Straiton.

A joint venture with gold exploration company, GreenOre Gold Plc will see 4000m of drilling take place.

Test drills, carried out across a 3km area in 2017, targeted historic finds and a new outcrop discovery.

Highlights included gold at 3.8 grammes per tonne found three metres beneath the surface.

GreenOre managing director Gavin Berkenheger said: "This is a significant milestone for GreenOre, having been actively exploring Scotland for gold for over 5 years.

"We look forward to continued success with Koza Ltd."

Koza has the option to earn 80% of the project, for a £1.3m spend.

Koza Ltd chairman Akin Ipek said: "We are delighted to continue working with GreenOre on this very exciting project.

"We look forward to seeing the results of our further exploration."