Heavy Rain Knocks Out Aberdeen Highland Games.

Thousands of people were left disappointed when the Aberdeen Highland Games were cancelled at the last minute.

Heavy rain on Saturday forced city council bosses to axe yesterday's event.

But dozens of people still turned up at the Hazlehead Park games field - including around 30 vendors.

The cancellation was a blow not just to games fans, but also to TV personality and founder of children's helpline ChildLine, Esther Rantzen, who was in the city to open the event.

Louise Scott, city council marketing and events manager, said: "We made the decision to cancel the games on Saturday at around 6pm.

"A year's worth of work goes into organising this event and we're very disappointed that it came to this.

"At the end of the day the conditions were too difficult.

"It was the best decision.

"Yesterday would have marked the first Highland games that Ms Rantzen had attended and she was very disappointed when she heard it wasn't going ahead."

The Aberdeen games - which normally attract a crowd of 15,000 - forms part of a calendar of Highland Games so it is unlikely that it will be rescheduled.