The burnt-out hide. Photo: Simon Ritchie/NatureScot

Two youths have been charged after a fire that destroyed a prizewinning bird hide.

Police Scotland said a 16-year-old male was arrested and charged on Friday in connection with a deliberate fire at the hide on the shore of Loch Leven.

He was released from custody and will appear at court at a later date. A 14-year-old boy was arrested and charged for the same offence last week.

The blaze on the evening of 18 February gutted the wooden hide, near Kinross, which had won awards for its design. Constructed in 2011, it enabled visitors to view wildlife on the national nature reserve at the site.

An officer from the Tayside division of Police Scotland said: “We are satisfied that no other persons were involved.”