CCTV footage shared widely on social media shows a group of youngsters standing by as one of their number tries to take a plank of wood from a Costorphine garden – but then slips and cartoonishly falls over when trying to clear a low wall.

The five-second clip went viral on Facebook, where some commenters celebrated the “instant karma”.

The home-owner told Edinburgh Live: “Apparently there were trying to steal some fencing materials I had in the garden but in the end they didn’t take anything so I didn’t call the police.

“They got the punishment they deserved in the end so I decided to share it because it was quite funny. They were probably just having fun by trying to steal it.”