Residents of a Scottish town were shocked to get a warning about a great white shark that might be lurking off their shores.

An email was pinged to people who had set up Google alerts for Fortrose in the Scottish Highlands warning them of the presence of the giant sea predator.

An appeal by Shark Experience was encouraging residents to take to the beaches in search of a tag that had been shed from a great white.

Shark Experience, a cage diving and sightseeing tour company, shared the appeal on social media encouraging the public to take part in the ‘treasure hunt with a difference.’

Luckily before residents in Fortrose on the Moray firth could take to the beach and help – the tag was found on the other side of the world in a New Zealand town also named Fortrose.

A post later revealed that the tag had been found by a labrador named Quasi on December 5.

The mussel-shaped tag was found on dry rocks around cliffs in the Catlins area in South Island, New Zealand.