Did Google Street View cameras capture a murder in Edinburgh?

Well, no. No they didn’t. Funny story though…

The dozens of Google Street View cars roaming the highways and byways of the globe have been witness to many strange things, none more so than an apparent "axe murder" in the Edinburgh neighbourhood of Leith.

Except it wasn't a murder at all, but a prank played by a couple of mechanics who spotted the iconic vehicle as it was making its way down Giles Street last summer, and seized their moment for immortality.

"I recognised the Google car coming into the street from the camera tower on the top," garage boss Dan Thompson, 56 - seen on the ground in the picture - told Metro.

Dan's co-worker Gary Kerr, 31, was well up for a prank.

"We just thought we had to do something... Gary grabbed a pick axe handle and we ran out into the street."

The duo forgot about their prank until later, when the footage was uploaded and they began to field calls from concerned friends and relatives who had seen the images.

Eventually they were even forced to admit the joke to real police officers, who turned up to investigate the 'crime' after being called by an alarmed member of the public.

"They were already pretty certain it was a joke because one of their colleagues gets their car serviced here," Dan told The Independent.

“They thought it was a really good laugh and in five minutes they were gone.”