Traffic queuing at the Longman roundabout, Inverness.
Motorists face long delays travelling through Inverness this afternoon as excessive traffic is causing gridlock across the city.
Many drivers have reported lengthy tailbacks along the A9 and through the city centre.
Millburn Road and Kenneth Street are among those badly hit and it is understood that police have been brought in to direct traffic.
One motorist said it took him 22 minutes to travel along Harbour Road.
The situation is also exacerbated by traffic being cut down to one lane on Academy Street because of scaffolding around a fire-damaged building.
An accident on the A96 Inverness-Aberdeen road also caused significant tailbacks earlier this afternoon.
Today marks one of the busiest days of the summer in Inverness and the surrounding area.
Thousands of revellers are making their way to the Belladrum Tartanheart festival near Beauly, while thousands more are attending the Black Isle Show, just a few miles away in Muir of Ord.
