A 36-year-old man who was found in possession of a knife in Galashiels town centre has been jailed for 12 months at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.

Robert Ramsay - who gave an address in Maxmill Park, Kelso, - pleaded guilty to possession of the offensive weapon on the night of August 20.

The court heard staff in Tesco had called police to say they had been informed there was a man in the car park with a knife.

When officers caught up with Ramsay outside a pizza shop in Channel Street they could see the weapon with a five inch blade and black handle, sticking out of the waist band of his trousers.

They also could detect he was under the influence of a substance and he was immediately taken to the ground.

Under caution and charge Ramsay claimed both his brother and himself had been run out of Hawick by people brandishing swords.

He also admitted further offending by attempting to break into the 1905 bar in Kelso on October 16 and breaching his night time curfew by being spotted in the grounds of the Ednam House Hotel in Kelso on January 18.