An amateur photographer was caught red-handed after adding three trees to a prize-winning photo of a well-known beauty spot that appears in the Official East Lothian 2008 calendar.

Derek Stein told The East Lothian Courier that he digitally added the massive trees to his prize-winning photograph of Aberlady Bay to “enhance and balance the photograph”.

A local professional photographer, who asked not to be named, said: “Frankly, it is a forgery. This calendar is in shops all over the UK and is meant to represent East Lothian, but what is in that picture is not East Lothian, it is a fake.”

Defending his picture, Mr Stein added: “The trees are from East Lothian… I never gave it a thought. Although now that I think about it, I can see where people are coming from and I do appreciate that some people might not be happy.”