POLICE swooped on a man they suspected of carrying a gun on Irvine Beach, but were in for a surprise.

A scared woman called the police after spotting what she thought was a gun strapped to a man’s back.

Marion Mcginn was walking back from Troon to Irvine when she saw the suspicious looking item being carried by a man on the beach.

She said: “I was scared and I was in shock but I knew I had to do the right thing.”

Marion contacted the Coastguard, who were shocked at the report and notified the police.

Officers rushed to scene after a helicopter confirmed the sighting, according to Marion.

But when police were upon the man it turned out the weapon was nothing more than ... an oddly shaped umbrella.

She said officers from Glasgow came to her home, sat her down and told her it was only an umbrella.

Marion said: “I felt like a dafty but the police told me I did the right thing.

“They didn’t understand why no one else phoned in as there was about 300 plus on the beach.

“They told him never to bring it out in public again or he’ll be in big trouble.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 3.20pm on Saturday, August 22, 2020, police received reports of a man in possession of a firearm in Beach Drive, Irvine.

“The item turned out to be an umbrella. Advice and assistance was given.”