Students appear to have broken social distancing rules on Saturday morning when a fire alarm forced them out of their beds and into the courtyard below.

Footage shows a crowd of students from the University of Edinburgh making their way back inside halls of residence, after a fire alarm went off and they were forced to congregate in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Fire crews attended the scene at around 1.30am, but found no signs of smoke or fire.

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Residents of Lee House - which has over 160 single bedrooms - is situated at Pollock Halls overlooking Arthur’s Seat.

A twitter user has criticised the university for “failing to establish a safe protocol for fire drills” and insisted “this was not the fault of students.”

It comes after announcements that hundreds of students across the UK are having to self-isolate in university accommodation to stem the spread of coronavirus.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were alerted at 1.35am on Saturday, September 26 to reports of a fire alarm activating at a student residency building on Holyrood Park Road, in Edinburgh.

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"Operations Control mobilised three fire appliances to the scene and firefighters ensured the area was safe before leaving the scene.

"There were no signs of smoke or fire."

A spokesperson for the University of Edinburgh said: "The wellbeing of our students and staff is an absolute priority, and we are doing all we can to ensure that the University is complying with the safety measures outlined by the Scottish Government.”