Shocked drivers watch as prisoner taken out of custody van on a stretcher at busy Edinburgh junction

SHOCKED drivers watched as a prisoner was stretchered out of the back of a prison van at a busy Capital junction this afternoon.

Photos emerged of the moment paramedics transferred the man into a waiting ambulance on Gorgie Road.

It was later confirmed the man had fallen ill not far from Saughton prison.

One witness said: “It looked pretty bad, he was on a spinal board.”

Emergency services were spotted at the scene shortly after 1pm

Police were also scrambled to the scene and were seen escorting the ambulance to the Royal Infirmary.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "At about 1.05pm a male prisoner was taken unwell while travelling in a security van."