A plane that took off from Southampton has had to make an emergency landing.

The Eastern Airways plane, which was heading to Aberdeen, was diverted to Newcastle International Airport when the captain reported a fault with the aircraft's cockpit instruments.

A total of 12 passengers and three crew who were on board the Jetstream 41 and were able to leave via the plane's steps when it landed at 8.25am.

The airline says it has now launched an investigation.

A spokesperson said: "The captain of T3 4902 reported a fault relating to some of the cockpit instruments and as a precaution opted to divert to Newcastle Airport.

"We have launched an investigation and engineers are inspecting the aircraft.

"Passengers are being transferred on to the next available flight to Aberdeen from Newcastle to continue their journey.

"We apologise to passengers for the inconvenience, however we will always err on the side of caution as safety is paramount."

No delays have been reported as a result of the landing.