A medical secretary at Hairmyres Hospital scooped a top prize at the Landscape Photographer of the Year competition.

Lesley Smith’s photograph of the demolition of the iconic Red Road flats in Glasgow earned her first place in the Urban View category.

Lesley said: “When I received the email at first I thought it was a wind-up and asked my husband to read it to make sure it was real.

“I had to keep quiet until the winners had been announced in the press but I still couldn’t get over the news.”

The photo will appear in an exhibition of the winning entries at Britain’s busiest train station, London Waterloo.

It will also be published in a book, Landscape Photographer of the Year: Collection 10.

Describing the process of taking the award-winning photo, Lesley said: “I waited five and a half hours to get the shot.

“I found the only hole in the fence for my camera and didn’t want to lose my spot.”

Lesley’s love of photography began in sad circumstances following the loss of her friend, Nicola Waugh, who died four years ago, aged 39, after a battle with cancer.

They had been friends for over 30 years. However, after her death, Lesley searched for pictures of Nicola and her together but only found very old, blurry photos.

Lesley’s family bought her a professional camera for her 40th birthday with a note instructing her to “take pictures of everything and everyone.’”

Lesley said: “After receiving a camera from my husband and children they encouraged me to take pictures all the time.

“To help me I also joined the East Kilbride Camera Club. I was nervous about using the camera at first. However, the club has been great and I couldn’t have won anything without their tutoring over the years.”