A SECTION of a Saltcoats street has been locked down by police as part of their investigation into the murder of Alan Lawson.

A number of officers are present at the scene on Canal Street between its junction with Seabank Street and Canal Place.

Cars and pedestrians are currently unable to access the area with traffic, including buses, being directed onto an alternative route.

Initially, only one vehicle was at the scene, and a small number of officers were seen patrolling the surrounding area as far as Boglemart Street in Stevenston.

However, only minutes later a number of police vehicles arrived on Canal Street before public access was restricted.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "This is related to the ongoing investigation into the murder of Alan Lawson."

Alan, 36, is believed to have been brutally assaulted at a property in Alexander Avenue, Largs, last weekend.

He was then left for dead at his home in New England Road, Saltcoats, on Sunday, February 4, and died from his injuries in hospital two days later.

Police had previously stated that they were following "a positive line of inquiry" in the hunt for the killer or killers.