A hearse with a coffin inside was barbarically pelted with bricks while on the way to a in a "random" attack.

The back window of the vehicle was shattered by while on its way to Warriston Crematorium in on March 13.

Multiple stones were thrown at the car during the attack, which continued even after the funeral staff pulled over and got out. Porteous Family Funeral Directors condemned the incident as "shocking" and "disgraceful" - and said it had impacted not only bereaved relatives but also the staff involved in the service. It also believed the attack was random and not targeted, as the had been on a diversion, meaning those responsible could not have known it would be there at the time.

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Photographs show the rear window of the car left shattered.

A spokesperson said: "This shocking act of vandalism to our hearse has been deeply distressing. It shows not only a total disregard for our bereaved family but has also had a significant emotional impact on our staff who experienced it. Such acts of disrespect towards the deceased and their family, as well as to our staff who were working tirelessly to ensure a dignified farewell, are unacceptable and should be condemned."

The company are now urging anyone with information or dash cam footage to come forward and help catch the culprits. In a post on social media, they added: "While we understand that it must be difficult to accept someone could contemplate carrying out something so shocking and disrespectful, this was not a planned attack.

"We were not using our normal route that day due to roadworks elsewhere so no-one could have known that our hearse was going to be on that particular road at that specific time.

The hearse window was hit at least 3 times from stones launched at high velocity in quick succession.

"The stones were still being deliberately fired over the heads of our staff, and other innocent bystanders, even after the hearse stopped and our staff got out. This deliberate damage was not just an attack on a vehicle which could have caused our funeral team risk of serious injury, but more importantly, is an appalling sign of disrespect towards the deceased and their grieving family."

Police told local media that an investigation into the incident was ongoing.