IT was the end of the thin blue line for one of TV's longest running police dramas last night.

Fans of The Bill tuned in to watch Sun Hill police fight crime for the last time on Scottish Television.

It follows a decision by STV bosses to axe the Bafta award-winning drama after 26 years in favour of home-grown programmes.

The rest of the UK, including the Borders, will see a revamped grittier version of The Bill from next Thursday in a new post-watershed 9pm slot.

The cost of buying The Bill from ITV, around £30,000 an episode, is thought to have been a major factor in STV's decision.

Viewing figures for show, which stars Alex Walkinshaw as Smithy, have dropped by half in a decade and STV now wants to screen Scottish- made programmes in its place.

It will be replaced by a celebrity documentary show Made In Scotland, a local aerial exploration of the country Scotland Revealed and a topical history programme called The Scots Who Fought Franco.

STV chief executive Rob Woodward said: "We are aiming to provide a diverse schedule of Scottish programming and acquired series to complement the large amount of quality network material in our schedule and to appeal to a broad range of audiences.

"We will be airing a strong mix of high quality Scottish productions in these slots and are confident we are offering viewers in Scotland a strong alternative."

Scottish fans of The Bill will be able to continue watching the show on digital satellite or online.

The Bill was first broadcast on August 16, 1983 as a pilot episode, and as a regular series from October 16, 1984.

The pilot starred Mark Wingett as PC Jim Carver and Trudie Goodwin as WPC June Ackland on Carver's first day on the beat at Sun Hill police station.

Over the years the show has featured a host of well-known British soap actors including former EastEnders star Todd Carty and Claire Goose of Casualty fame.