Orange Lodge partygoers who posed in Nazi Halloween outfits won't face any criminal proceedings.

Officers had received pictures of people dressed in offensive costumes at Airdrie District Orange Hall and Social Club.

The images, which were posted on Facebook but have since been removed, included a man who was dressed as Hitler giving a Nazi salute posing with children wearing a yellow star, which Jewish people were forced to wear in Nazi Germany.

Glasgow Times:

Another image showed a man dressed as the Pope with a noose around his neck while a further picture showed two men holding a toy wearing a Celtic strip between them at crotch level.

The photographs were published on the Whinhall True Blues Flute Band Facebook page and reportedly date from 2010 and 2013.

Glasgow Times:

The images were passed on to police by our sister newspaper The Sunday Herald.

Robert McLean, executive officer at The Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland, told the newspaper he had "no comment to make" on the images.

The Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland later posted a comment on social media criticising the media coverage but failing to address the images shown.

Glasgow Times:

However, today police confirmed their investigation into the pictures had found no criminality.

A spokeswoman said: "This matter has been investigated by Police Scotland and whilst it is clear that the posts could be regarded as inappropriate and distasteful, no offences have been established at this time.

"Police Scotland has not received any complaints.

"Police Scotland takes all reports of hate incidents seriously and will investigate such reports appropriately and proportionately."