International reaction has been coming in following the UK vote to leave the European Union.

"We now expect the United Kingdom government to give effect to this decision of the British people as soon as possible, however painful that process may be. Any delay would unnecessarily prolong uncertainty.
"We hope to have the UK as a close partner of the EU also in the future."
Brexit: What happens next?
"This is a painful choice and it is deeply regrettable both for the UK and Europe. But this choice is theirs and we must respect it, accepting all the consequences.
"The British vote is a tough test for Europe."
Full statement (in French)
"We take note of the British people's decision with regret. There is no doubt that this is a blow to Europe and to the European unification process."
Mrs Merkel said that because of its history, Germany has "a particular interest and a particular responsibility" to make European unity a success.
"The people of the United Kingdom have spoken, and we respect their decision. The special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is enduring, and the United Kingdom's membership in Nato remains a vital cornerstone of US foreign, security, and economic policy.
"So too is our relationship with the European Union, which has done so much to promote stability, stimulate economic growth, and foster the spread of democratic values and ideals across the continent and beyond.
"The United Kingdom and the European Union will remain indispensable partners of the United States even as they begin negotiating their ongoing relationship to ensure continued stability, security, and prosperity for Europe, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the world."
Full statement
The UK vote to leave the European Union comes amid rising Euroscepticism in Europe. Some in the EU fear the result could reverse 70 years of European integration.
Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders, whose Party for Freedom (PVV) opposes immigration, told the BBC he believed the end of the EU was now just "a matter of time".
He also tweeted that it was "time for a Dutch referendum".
"Victory for freedom! The British people have given to Europeans and to all the people of the world a shining lesson in democracy.
"As I have been asking for years, now we need to have the same referendum in France and in the countries of the EU."
More on demands for EU referendums in other countries
"I am very sorry that the result of the referendum is for the UK to leave the European Union. However, the British people have spoken and we fully respect their decision.
"Ireland will, of course, remain a member of the European Union. That is profoundly in our national interest."
After the UK leaves the EU, its only land border with an EU country will be between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Mr Kenny said the Irish government would "do our utmost" to maintain a pre-EU agreement of an open border for travellers and "minimise any possible disruptions to the flow of people, goods and services between these islands".
More on Ireland's reaction
"It's an explosive shock. At stake is the break-up pure and simple of the union.
"Now is the time to invent another Europe."
"A statement by the Prime Minister of Great Britain Mr Cameron before... the referendum, in which he voiced the position of Russia [that Moscow would benefit from Brexit] has no basis. I think this is nothing more than a flawed attempt to influence public opinion in his own country.
"As we can see, even this did not bring the right result for those who did it, and moreover after the vote no-one has the right to make statements about some position of Russia. This is nothing more than a demonstration of the low level of political culture."
"Today the most urgent challenge the European Union is facing is finding a way to the hearts and minds of Eurosceptics in order not to leave a single chance to opponents of the European integration project and their generous sponsors. I do hope that the sanctions against Russia as an aggressor state will be extended."
"The UK will remain a strong and committed Nato ally, and will continue to play its leading role in our alliance.
"Today, as we face more instability and uncertainty, Nato is more important than ever as a platform for co-operation among European allies, and between Europe and North America. A strong, united and determined Nato remains an essential pillar of stability in a turbulent world, and a key contributor to international peace and security.
"The alliance remains committed to closer cooperation with the European Union."
"We urge the authorities in the UK and Europe to work collaboratively to ensure a smooth transition to a new economic relationship between the UK and the EU, including by clarifying the procedures and broad objectives that will guide the process."
"We recognise that excessive volatility and disorderly movements in exchange rates can have adverse implications for economic and financial stability.
"G7 central banks have taken steps to ensure adequate liquidity and to support the functioning of markets. We stand ready to use the established liquidity instruments to that end."
"The people of the UK have chosen to leave the EU.
"The UK and the EU are important strategic partners for Canada with whom we enjoy deep historical ties and common values. We will continue to build relations with both parties as they forge a new relationship.
"Canada's connections to our partners around the world are among its greatest assets, and these relationships contribute greatly to the prosperity of all Canadians.
"Canada has tremendous economic fundamentals that we are strengthening with key investments in infrastructure and measures to grow our middle class. We are well positioned to weather global market uncertainty as we have done in the past."
Full statement
"This is a sad day for us, but we will respect the will of the British people. This is not a funeral for Europe. This can be a new start for Europe, and we will regain the confidence of the citizens."
"Exit negotiations should be concluded within 2 years at max. There cannot be any special treatment. Leave means leave."
"The debate and campaigning in the run-up to the referendum should serve as a wake-up call for Europe. They elicited stark polarisation and disturbing nationalism. This shows that EU cooperation must be developed and improved."
"A domino effect on other countries cannot be ruled out."
He told Austrian radio that the EU as a whole would survive.
"Spain will remain committed to the EU. The EU is the area of greatest prosperity and wellbeing; we will continue building a better future between us.
"We need stability. Above all we will continue defending Spaniards' interests and greater European integration.
"Spain now has a solid economic base in order to weather the financial turbulence which Brexit could cause. We are prepared."
Spain calls for joint control of Gibraltar
"I wish everybody a lot of luck. It's historic."
The presidential hopeful is visiting a golf resort he owns in Scotland today. He said it is a "great thing" that the people of the UK have "taken back their country".
"We respect the choice the people of the United Kingdom have made.
"Our first task has to be to make sure that the economic uncertainty created by these events does not hurt working families here in America. We also have to make clear America's steadfast commitment to the special relationship with Britain and the transatlantic alliance with Europe.
"This time of uncertainty only underscores the need for calm, steady, experienced leadership in the White House to protect Americans' pocketbooks and livelihoods, to support our friends and allies, to stand up to our adversaries, and to defend our interests.  It also underscores the need for us to pull together to solve our challenges as a country, not tear each other down."
"Brexit will be either a wake-up call or the beginning of a dangerous path for European people.
"We respect the decision of British people, which confirms the deep political and identity crisis of the EU.
"The extreme choices of austerity that widened the inequality between countries of the north and south, fences and closed borders and the denial to share the burden of the debt and migrant crises had signalled an extended crisis in Europe."
"Now, as the United Kingdom and other EU member states embark on the process of charting a way forward, the secretary general trusts in Europe's well-proven history of pragmatism and common responsibility in the interest of European citizens.
"At the UN, we look forward to continuing our work with the United Kingdom and the European Union - both important partners.
"The secretary general expects the European Union to continue to be a solid partner for the United Nations on development and humanitarian issues, as well as peace and security, including migration.
"He also expects that the United Kingdom will continue to exercise its leadership in many areas, including development. He very much hopes that this will continue.
"When we work together, we are stronger."
Full statement
"It will take two years for the institutional changes that this vote implies to be negotiated and we remain committed to retaining strong trade and financial relations with both Britain and the European Union.
"The uncertainty that arises from this vote means that the volatility that has characterised capital markets in the lead-up to the vote may persist.
"The National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank have been in discussions with financial institutions on the possible implications for the South African economy. Our banks and financial institutions are well positioned to withstand financial shocks to the system as demonstrated in previous episodes including the 2008/09 global financial crisis.
"We are therefore confident that our financial system including the banks and the regulatory framework are extremely resilient and reliable."
Statement in full
"Let's realise that a great part of people living in Europe reject the EU's migration policy, there is great dissatisfaction with the EU's economic policy.
"It is up to us, the remaining 27 union member states, whether we find enough strength to say that fundamental policies of the EU must go through fundamental changes."
Slovakia will take on the six-month presidency of the EU from next month.
"Britain's decision is serious and irreversible.
"The EU has to change. Not because Britain left, but because the European project needs much stronger support from citizens.
"The EU is for us, the Czech Republic, the best possible guarantee of stability, peace and prosperity."
"One must do everything to prevent other countries from leaving."
"We have to serenely respect the decision of the majority of the British people, in the certainty that the European project remains valid to defend the values that mark our common identity."
"We believe in a strong Europe, but Europe is strong only if it can give solutions which make it stronger, to significant problems like migration."
"Deeply sad for the EU referendum result. We will go on and stay strong with 27, but EU will not be the same without Great Britain"
"The nation has had its say."
Speaking of the negotiations that must come between the UK and the EU following this vote, he said: "Any retaliation and whinge is out of the question."
"The EU should read this development very well and reassess its future vision."
"A sad day for Europe and for European and international friends of Great Britain.
"The European edifice needs reconfirmation more than ever. Moldova remains attached to its European course despite the results of the referendum in the UK because we consider the EU a successful project and we want to be part of it, based on reforms, during the next years."
"Romania will negotiate so that its interest is protected and the interest of our citizens who live and work in Great Britain is protected."
"British voters and many other voters around Europe feel that the EU is not providing good enough answers to today's challenges."
"We are very concerned over the risks to the global economy, and financial and exchange markets."
"A prosperous Europe is in the interests of all parties and China is willing to keep co-operating with Britain and is fully confident in China-EU ties."
"In this globalized world, volatility and uncertainty are the new norms. This verdict will obviously further contribute to such volatility not least because its full implications for the UK, Europe and the rest of the world are still uncertain.
"All countries around the world will have to brace themselves for a period of possible turbulence while being watchful about, and alert to, the referendum's medium term impacts."
"There will be testing times ahead for the UK. But the British people should know that one old friend will always be with them, as they open a new chapter in their long history."
"Other developed countries also face similar challenges as Britain. We all live in a globalised, interdependent world. The desire to disengage, to be less constrained by one's partners, to be free to do things entirely as one chooses, is entirely understandable. And yet in reality for many countries, disengaging and turning inwards will likely lead to less security, less prosperity, and a dimmer future.
"Singapore will continue to cultivate our ties with Britain, which is a long standing friend and partner."
"The impact on Australia immediately, directly, from a legal point of view, will be very limited because it will take some years for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, to negotiate an exit. However, we've seen already large falls on stock markets and there will be a degree of uncertainty for some time."


A separate Welsh legal system could create jobs, cut costs and improve access to justice, a group of lawyers has claimed.

Calling themselves Justice for Wales, they claimed more devolution supported the case for separation from England.
Former High Court Judge Sir Roderick Evans said legal policies "made in London" were applied to Wales "whether they are suitable for Wales or not".
The Welsh government said a separate system would "simplify devolution".
Wales has shared a legal system with England for nearly 500 years, since the "acts of union" under Henry VIII.
The group, which includes supporters of all the main political parties, said Wales was the only UK nation "lacking its own justice system".
"The economic case for a Welsh jurisdiction is strong and the constitutional case is overwhelming", the lawyers said in a pamphlet launched at the Senedd on Wednesday.
The group claimed a Welsh legal system would encourage skilled lawyers to stay in Wales, and would "bring the courts closer to the people of Wales".
Sir Roderick, now pro-chancellor of Swansea University, said the differences between Wales and England "will increase and become more fundamental as the process of devolution continues".
A Welsh government spokesperson said: "We believe a separate Welsh jurisdiction will develop naturally as the National Assembly passes more Welsh legislation.
"However, there is no doubt that the creation of a separate jurisdiction, as exists in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, would simplify devolution to everyone's benefit."
In 2012, First Minister Carwyn Jones launched a consultation on the idea, saying: "The development of a legal system fit for a healthy and prosperous Wales is vital."
But the UK government and former Labour Attorney General Lord Morris of Aberavon questioned the need and the cost of such a change.


Reading strengthened their Championship play-off hopes as they inflicted Wolves' fifth successive league defeat.

Yann Kermorgant deflected Liam Moore's shot past Carl Ikeme to put the hosts ahead, but just two minutes later Ben Marshall touched in Nouha Dicko's fine cross to level.
Paul McShane met John Swift's free-kick with an inch-perfect header to win it.
Wolves defender Mike Williamson was then sent off late on after his second booking for a block on Kermorgant.
Wolves, who are on their worst losing streak since April 2012, have now slipped to just one place and a point above the relegation zone.
They had done well to stifle Reading's passing game in a tame first half which brought no efforts on goal for the opening 40 minutes.
Wolves had the best chance moments before half-time when Ali Al Habsi clawed away a glancing header from Romain Saiss.
After the two early goals in the second half, Paul Lambert's side then carved out chances to go ahead, with Al Habsi at full-stretch to keep out George Saville's long-range strike and Dicko hitting the side-netting after being put through.
But McShane's late strike gave the Royals a 12th win of the season at the Madejski Stadium and they remain fifth, just a point behind fourth-placed Leeds United.
Reading manager Jaap Stam:
"We got the three points. I'm not happy with how we played but you can't have it all. We still need to learn and we still need to improve a lot.
"You've done well the whole season, you've been third in the league for a long time and it would be a shame not to end up in the top six.
"People around the club were talking about automatic promotion. But that's not going to happen. Even for us to end up in the top six, it's going to be very hard."
Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Paul Lambert:
Media playback is not supported on this device
"If we keep playing the way we are, the law of averages tells you that it'll go for you. I feel a bit hard done by.
"That's the way things tend to go when you're down there. But, when you come through it, you'll be a stronger team for it.
"I've never known the players' confidence to drop. They're a really good group of guys, good people, good characters. We'll keep our heads up, keep our spirits up."
Match ends, Reading 2, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1.
Second Half ends, Reading 2, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1.
Attempt missed. Andreas Weimann (Wolverhampton Wanderers) header from very close range misses to the left. Assisted by Ben Marshall with a cross.
Attempt missed. Lewis Grabban (Reading) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by John Swift.
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Matt Doherty replaces Conor Coady.
Attempt missed. Ben Marshall (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the left following a set piece situation.
Danny Williams (Reading) is shown the yellow card.
Yann Kermorgant (Reading) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Yann Kermorgant (Reading).
Hélder Costa (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Second yellow card to Mike Williamson (Wolverhampton Wanderers) for a bad foul.
Yann Kermorgant (Reading) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Mike Williamson (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Jón Dadi Bödvarsson replaces George Saville.
Corner,  Reading. Conceded by George Saville.
Goal!  Reading 2, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1. Paul McShane (Reading) header from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by John Swift with a cross following a set piece situation.
Yakou Meite (Reading) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by George Saville (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Attempt missed. George Evans (Reading) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Lewis Grabban.
Foul by Chris Gunter (Reading).
Hélder Costa (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt blocked. Ben Marshall (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Andreas Weimann.
Attempt saved. George Saville (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Conor Coady.
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Andreas Weimann replaces Nouha Dicko.
Attempt missed. Mike Williamson (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Kortney Hause following a corner.
Corner,  Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by Liam Moore.
Substitution, Reading. George Evans replaces Joey van den Berg.
Foul by Joey van den Berg (Reading).
David Edwards (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Yakou Meite (Reading).
George Saville (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Nouha Dicko (Wolverhampton Wanderers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Joey van den Berg (Reading) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Nouha Dicko (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Attempt missed. Nouha Dicko (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Hélder Costa.
Substitution, Reading. Yakou Meite replaces Adrian Popa.
Substitution, Reading. Lewis Grabban replaces Roy Beerens.
Corner,  Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by Paul McShane.
Adrian Popa (Reading) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by George Saville (Wolverhampton Wanderers).


Two whales have been filmed breaching out of the water and slapping their fins off the coast of Devon.

13 March 2017 Last updated at 19:06 GMT
Andrew Humphries filmed the creatures at around 11:30 GMT off the coast of Torquay.
He said: "It was incredible. The two whales were slapping their fins on the water, then one disappeared and the other one came back and breached out of the water a couple of times.
"It was absolutely amazing to see."
He believes they are humpback whales, and there have been regular sightings of the species in the area in recent weeks.
The Sea Watch Foundation, which records sightings of whales, said it was rare for humpbacks to be seen off the UK coastline until recently.
In the last five years sightings have increased from about five per year to between 15 and 30, it said.


A deal to safeguard the future of a Welsh language hall of residence at Aberystwyth University has been struck.

Accommodation at Pantycelyn will close at the end of this academic term to make it "fit for purpose" within four years.
The university's council ratified the deal at a meeting on Monday.
Once that was sealed, campaigners who have staged a sit-in protest against the plan since 14 June left.
They had raised concerns no timetable has been provided for reopening the Welsh medium hall of residence.
On Friday, a compromise was brokered between the university's chancellor, Sir Emyr Jones Parry, members of the Welsh Students Union at Aberystwyth (UMCA).
The university's council voted on Monday afternoon on a proposal by Sir Emyr to reopen Pantycelyn within four years after an extensive renovation project.
Welsh language students will be housed at Fferm Penglais and Penbryn Hall while the work is completed, under the new plan.


Aggressive and abusive patients who target doctors, nurses and health care workers are being warned that their behaviour will not be tolerated.

A poster campaign is being launched to highlight the NHS's zero tolerance policy for attacks on its workers, such as pharmacists, GPs and their staff.
The Welsh government, which is backing the campaign, said people will "feel the full weight of the law".
There have been nearly 200 successful prosecutions since April 2010.
A cross-party group of AMs said in 2009 that aggression against NHS workers in Wales had been tackled with a "lack of urgency".
CCTV was installed at four hospital A&E departments and in five ambulances, while thousands of lone workers were given panic buttons.]
Health Minister Lesley Griffiths said the Welsh government, the NHS, police and the Crown Prosecution Service have also been working together to reduce the risks of violence and aggression against health workers since then.
"In addition to this, significant progress has been made to support staff affected by violence or aggression and to take action against perpetrators," she said.
"In the 18 months since April 2010 we have seen nearly 200 successful prosecutions. This is massive improvement in the number of prosecutions, which in recent years were in single figures."
Pharmacists and GP surgeries are being encouraged to display the posters in prominent areas of their premises to remind people using their services that if they act in an aggressive way, they will be prosecuted.
Ms Griffiths said health staff were expecting the final two weekends in the run-up to Christmas to be busy.
"It has been said we'll experience two Black Fridays this year. I urge people to drink responsibly," she said.
"If you do need to call the emergency services or visit an A&E department, please remember that any aggression towards the hard-working, dedicated staff will be met with stiff penalties."
Dr Charles Allanby, a GP in Cardiff, has been speaking out about violence in the NHS after he was randomly attacked by a stranger in his surgery.
The assault 18 years ago has stayed with him and he believes a zero-tolerance to violence policy is necessary.
"It was a cold November night and the man came into the waiting room of the surgery and said he wanted to see a doctor. He wasn't a patient at the surgery so we didn't know who he was," he said, recalling the attack.
"I went to the waiting room to see him, he got up off the seat, kicked the radiator and ran towards me in an aggressive way.
"I ran to my office but he got through the office door and pushed me to the floor and jumped on top of me and started kicking and punching me for no reason.
"He then got up and picked up my computer monitor - which in those days was huge - and threw it at me and it shattered on the floor."
The violent patient was eventually arrested and tried in court, Dr Allanby said, but never paid his Â£200 fine.
"These days we do have things in place to try to minimise the risk that doctors and other workers face," he said.
"For example we do risk assessments and have panic buttons in all our rooms."
Dr Allanby is the primary care member of the Welsh government's All Wales Violence and Aggression working party and says the issue of violence in the NHS is being taken seriously.
"Also I think the fact the police and the CPS are now more keen to prosecute people and the courts are handing out custodial sentences," he added.
"These incidents don't just affect doctors and other workers - they are very intimidating for other patients too."


Arron Banks, the former UKIP donor who bankrolled the campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, is making a move into the media sector by backing an anti-establishment news website that launches tomorrow.

I can reveal that Westmonster is co-owned by Michael Heaver, former press adviser to Nigel Farage. The 27-year-old, who together with Mr Banks will own 50% of the website, will edit it day to day.
Modelled on the Drudge Report, the American aggregator site that generates huge traffic, Westmonster will be powered by the social media reach of Leave.EU, the campaign to which Mr Banks gave close to Â£7m - the largest donation in British political history.
Leave.EU has nearly 800,000 followers on Facebook and Mr Heaver believes he can use that base to generate substantial traffic from day one.
Westmonster will publish some original news, and Mr Heaver hopes to enlist more celebrity writers than backbench MPs.
The site will launch with an article from Nigel Farage, and Mr Heaver is open about wanting to ape the opinionated, anti-establishment, highly provocative tone of Breitbart.
This launch is significant for several reasons. It shows that the anti-establishment media which helped to power the campaign of Donald Trump is coming to Britain.
It's no coincidence that Westmonster is launching the day before Mr Trump's inauguration - an event that will be attended, almost alone among Brits, by Nigel Farage, Arron Banks, and Mr Banks's business associate Andy Wigmore, who are together hosting a celebratory party on Saturday night in a hotel across the road from the White House.
Banks has booked out an entire floor of the Hay-Adams Hotel on Saturday night, and - logistics permitting - the plan is for the new President to attend, along with his close friend the Governor of Mississippi, Phil Bryant.
It also marks a significant acceleration of Mr Banks's involvement in British public life.
I spent time with him in the nondescript offices of his insurance company on the edge of Bristol on Tuesday, with a Premier Inn on one side and the M4-M5 junction on the other.
He is an extremely intriguing character, as this superb profile for Radio 4 pointed out.
He tweets vigorously and his politics do not fit into the anachronistic right-left spectrum through which so much of Westminster is still naively interpreted.
For instance, he favours nationalisation of Britain's railways and some utilities over their present near-monopoly status, harbours a visceral hatred of many Tories, and has had several conversations with Labour MPs about wooing them over to the populist Momentum-style movement that he intends to launch in the coming months.
I also revealed in December that he has expressed interest in more traditional media - that is, The Daily Telegraph.
Now, as I put to him yesterday, he has become Britain's latest media baron. He helps to show how the rise of digital media has not so much blurred the distinction between media and politics as abolished it; how the culture wars raging in the US are being imported here; and how traditional media - including the BBC - face ferocious competition like never before.
You can see my report on BBC News at Ten on Wednesday on BBC One.


Asian shares were higher following Wall Street's positive close, as global markets largely held firm despite Friday's terror attacks in Paris.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index closed up 1.22% at 19,630.63.
Shares in Japanese exporters were lifted as the dollar strengthened against the yen on expectations of a US interest rate rise in December.
A weaker yen is good for Japan's big exporters as it makes their products cheaper to buy overseas.
The dollar neared a one-week high in Asia trade at 123.39 yen, compared with 123.18 in New York.
In Australia, Sydney's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index closed up 2.3% at 5,118.20.
After falling on Monday over worries about air travel following the Paris attacks, several airlines saw their shares recover on Tuesday.
Qantas shares closed up 5.29%, while Virgin Australia shares finished the day up 2.33%.
In China, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index closed up 1.15% at 22,264.25, while the Shanghai Composite lost earlier gains to close nearly flat, down 0.06%, at 3,604.80.
In South Korea, the benchmark Kospi index closed up 1.06% at 1,963.58.


A man has died after falling into the chimney of a seven-storey building near Marble Arch, the Met Police said.

The 20-year-old was thought to have been sitting on the roof of the house on Great Cumberland Place when he fell backwards into the chimney.
His body was found in the lower basement of the building at the base of the chimney.
Police said they have informed next of kin and are awaiting formal identification.


A town in Wiltshire says it has broken the world record for the largest live nativity.

5 December 2016 Last updated at 15:42 GMT
The event in Calne was attended by 1,254 people dressed as shepherds, angels and wise men.
This beat the previous record of 1,039 people, which was set in the US state of Utah.
Guinness World Record official Jack Brockbank described it as "a fantastic result" for the town.


Lewis Hamilton led a Mercedes one-two in first practice as a new era of Formula 1 started in familiar fashion at the Australian Grand Prix.

The talk before the weekend in Melbourne had been about the step forward made by Ferrari over the winter but their fastest driver Kimi Raikkonen was down in fifth.
Hamilton was using faster tyres when he set his fastest time, but the Mercedes appeared quicker on the same tyres, too.
Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas was second ahead of the two Red Bulls.
More to follow
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Australian Grand Prix first practice results
Australian Grand Prix coverage details


About £3.5m will be spent on helping two bridges in Rhondda Cynon Taff cope with the winter elements.

The money will "future-proof" the St Albans Bridge in Treherbert and Brook Street footbridge, Ystrad Rhondda.
It follows £53m being spent on roads and highways over the past five years, with another £26.5m earmarked for the next three years.
The local authority said roads had been "severely damaged" by freezing conditions which created pot holes.
Work on the ageing bridges will see the structures reinforced and cracks and holes on them repaired.
One of the biggest projects in 2016 saw £1.25m spent on the Rhigos Mountain Road, which links the Rhondda and Cynon valleys, to prepare it for this winter.
Council leader Andrew Morgan said bad weather had "severely affected" its highways and work would keep damage to a minimum.


Britain's nuclear weapons programme is in a curious position.

As far as the Conservative government is concerned, the Royal Navy's four Vanguard class ballistic missile-carrying submarines will be replaced by an improved system that will enter service between 2028 and 2035.
No parliamentary decision has yet been taken but the government is pressing ahead, for example, by announcing last month about Â£500m of investment at the submarine base at Faslane on the Clyde.
But other political forces do not share this view. The Scottish National Party has an important voice - Faslane, after all, is in Scotland.
It cannot derail any decision to modernise but it does not like it.
Now the recently elected Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn adds a new factor to the mix.
A confirmed unilateralist with a general scepticism towards the use of military force - he was chairman of the Stop the War Coalition - he insists that there are no circumstances in which he would press the "nuclear button".
His unilateralism is not shared by many in the Parliamentary Labour Party, but certainly touches a vein among many grass-roots Labour activists.
So what does this all mean for the debate surrounding Trident and its future?
Well as far as the Conservative government is concerned the debate is pretty much over.
Chancellor George Osborne, in announcing the new contracts at Faslane, repudiated the views of those who want to see the Trident missile-carrying submarines scrapped.
"In an uncertain world, are we really content to throw away Britain's ultimate insurance policy?" he asked.
He then set out the essential justification for maintaining the programme, saying: "The new unilateralists of British politics are a threat to our future national security. In a world that's getting more dangerous it would be disastrous for Britain to throw away the ultimate insurance policy that keeps us free and safe."
Some also suggest that Britain's seat at the top table of international politics, its seat on the UN Security Council for example, is also because of us being one of the few nuclear-armed nations.
This may have been true during the early years of the UN - it is no accident that the permanent five members of the Security Council are all nuclear-armed - but it is hard to see how the fate of Trident might alter this.
Another factor that is often brought into the debate is Britain's close security relationship with the US.
Might this be weakened if Britain gave up its nuclear weapons? Would Britain be seen in Washington as a less serious security player?
The counter-argument put by those who oppose any renewal is to argue that nuclear weapons are not relevant to most of the threats facing Britain; that we should set an example by honouring our disarmament pledges under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and that the cost means that more useful conventional forces are strapped for cash.
An independent cross-party inquiry into nuclear defence policy published its report in July 2014.
It accepted that most new and emerging security threats did not lend themselves to being dealt with by having nuclear arms.
It nonetheless picked out three scenarios where the possession of nuclear weapons might be relevant:
The whole debate over the fate of Britain's nuclear programme involves complex strategic, moral and political aspects.
Mr Corbyn may be a long way from even convincing his parliamentary colleagues of the merits of his position.
But his beliefs mean that the future of nuclear weapons is likely to figure prominently in the foreign policy debate surrounding the next general election.


Low staffing levels at Bristol Prison are having a "detrimental impact" on prisoners and on staff morale, according to a prison watchdog report.

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) said it had safety concerns for staff and inmates due to a lack of officers.
The jail holds more than 600 male adults, both convicted and on remand, and is located in Horfield.
A prison service spokesman said they had "increased staffing levels" and "prisoners' needs were being met".
The report acknowledged the "continuing requirement to make financial savings" was  "a challenge" for HMP Bristol's governor.
But it said the reduced number of prison officers at certain times on some wings made both inmates and staff "feel unsafe".
Chairman of the IMB for Bristol Prison, Dr Michael Flannery, said: "The board is becoming more concerned about the lack of prison officers. We worry about the safety of the prisoners and the staff.
"And we worry about decency - a cockroach and rat-infested dirty environment is not going to help people you're hoping to eventually rehabilitate."
A separate report, released by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (HMCIP) in September, after an unannounced visit in May also criticised the category-B prison.
This was referred to in the IMB report which said the HMCIP report had "shared many of these issues of concern".
The IMB report highlighted the closure of HMP Gloucester earlier in the year as having an impact on Bristol's jail.
It said that although Bristol's governor had "dealt effectively with the additional demands" the "workload in relation to resettlement had increased considerably".
It said Gloucester's closure had resulted in an increase in the number of prisoners on remand.
Poor standards of cleanliness were also raised.  Toilet facilities on B-wing were described as "particularly poor" with no in-cell sanitation.
The board was told there were "no plans to replace these facilities" as there was "no budget for the work".
A shortage of skilled work and vocational training was also raised in the report.
Prisoners complained about the increasing amount of lost property during transfers between prisons and visitors reported "continuing difficulty in booking visits".
The IMB said the Segregation Unit was "well managed" and praised staff in the unit for providing a "high level of care".
A prison service spokesman said: "HMP Bristol has been through a major period of restructure and change with significant investment to improve the prison.
"We have increased staffing levels, the number of activity places for prisoners and the amount of time they spend out of their cells.
"Good work is now taking place in resettlement and offender management and the needs of prisoners are largely being met."
He added the report would be "fully considered by ministers who would respond in due course".
The IMB is made up of volunteers who check standards of care and decency in prisons and report their findings to the Secretary of State.


A South Asian summit due to be held in Pakistan may be called off after India and three other countries pulled out amid tensions over Kashmir.

India said on Tuesday that the environment was "not conducive" to holding the summit, which is due to take place in Islamabad in November.
Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan joined the withdrawal on Wednesday.
India accuses Pakistan of being behind a deadly militant attack on its forces in Kashmir, something Pakistan denies.
Officials in Nepal, which currently chairs the  South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (Saarc), said they still hoped the meeting could go ahead.
India has accused Pakistan-based militants of an attack that killed 18 soldiers in Kashmir earlier this month.
Viewpoint: How India's response to Pakistan weakens Sharif
"India has conveyed to current Saarc Chair Nepal that increasing cross-border terrorist attacks in the region... have created an environment that is not conducive to the successful holding of the 19th Saarc Summit," the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement.
"In the prevailing circumstances, the government of India is unable to participate in the proposed summit in Islamabad."
The 18 September attack on a military base in Indian-administered Kashmir was the deadliest of its kind for years.
Islamabad says India's stance is a "blatant attempt" to deflect attention from human rights abuses in the region.
More than 80 people, nearly all anti-government protesters, have died in more than two months of violence against Indian rule.
Both India and Pakistan claim Muslim-majority Kashmir in its entirety but control only parts of it.


The detective leading the investigation into the murder of former senior IRA man Gerard 'Jock' Davison has described the inquiry as "very challenging".

The 47-year-old was shot a number of times at Welsh Street in the Markets area of Belfast exactly one week ago.
The gunman was described as being about 5ft 6ins tall and was wearing a black hooded rain jacket.
DCI Justyn Galloway said police were following "a number of specific lines of enquiry".
"I have two specific appeals: I want to hear from anyone who left the Markets between 9.09 and 9.15am last Tuesday, from any route either on foot or in a vehicle, to contact detectives at Musgrave police station on the 101 number," he said.
"I also want to hear from anyone who parked a vehicle in the Markets before walking to work somewhere else. These people are potential witnesses and it is important that they come forward and talk to us."
Police returned to the scene of the murder on Tuesday morning. Officers spoke to people walking and driving through the area and they handed out  leaflets and posters.
Detectives also spoke to commuters at nearby Central Station.
DCI Galloway said it was a challenging investigation that would likely take some time.
He said its success would depend on people "coming forward and telling us what they know".
So far three people have been arrested over the murder, but all of them have been released without charge.
"The flow of information to the enquiry will determine which direction we take, the people we need to speak to, the doors we need to knock and any further arrests or searches we make," DCI Galloway said.
"Our objective will always be to conduct a thorough, professional investigation."
Police have said they do not believe dissident republicans were behind the attack, and do not believe Mr Davison's murder was sectarian.
It is understood Mr Davison was involved in the fight in a Belfast bar in January 2005 that led to the death of Robert McCartney, one of Northern Ireland's most high profile killings.
Mr Davison's uncle Terence was later acquitted of Mr McCartney's murder.


Northern Ireland's Kris Meeke has finished eighth on his World Rally Championship return in Finland.

The Dungannon driver, who was dropped by Citroen for Rally Poland, had several setbacks during the Finnish event which he won in 2016.
On Saturday's final stage, Meeke's car struck a rock, causing a puncture and damage to the front bodywork.
Finn Esapekka Lappi claimed his maiden WRC win, with Elfyn Evans of Wales in second and Juho Hanninen third.
Championship leader Sebastian Ogier of France retired from the event, with the M-Sport driver breaking his suspension over a jump, while Finland's Jari-Matti Latvala led on Saturday before being forced to retire with mechanical issues.
Ireland's Craig Breen was fifth his Citroen ,finishing one minute and 22 seconds behind winner Lappi.
"I really struggled this weekend," said Meeke, 38, who had also lost time on Friday after clipping a rock.
"You have to come here with buckets of confidence and it can quickly unravel. We have a bit of work to do."
After missing the Polish WRC round, Meeke's aim was to stay out of trouble on the tricky Finnish forest stages.
Trips off the road in Monte Carlo, Sweden, Portugal, Argentina and Italy, along with engine failure while leading in Corsica, ruined Meeke's hopes of a title challenge despite a dramatic victory in Mexico.


Two pen pals who have been writing from opposite ends of the earth for 50 years have met in person for the first time.

Rosemary Caskin, from Gloucestershire, began sending letters 10,193 miles (16,400km) to Edith Dawson in Australia when she was nine-years-old.
Ms Dawson, three years her senior, has now made the journey from Kapunda in South Australia, to Wotton-under-Edge, for Mrs Caskin's 60th birthday.
The pair said it was a "very exciting" point in their lives.
A celebratory cake was made for the occasion featuring a map of the UK and Australia, an airmail letter and some flying '50' banners.
Ms Dawson said: "When we were [nine] and 12 you couldn't even imagine being 50, let along actually corresponding with someone for that time."
Reflecting back to the 1960s, Mrs Caskin said: "It was the thing to have pen friends. Schools were encouraging it and my school friend had a pen pal."
That pen pal was actually Mrs Caskin's sister, she added.
The two have shared much of life for half a century, corresponding through hand-written letters, emails and sending gifts.
"We've both had two marriages so there was the joy of our first marriage, the joy of having children, the sadness of when our first marriages failed and identifying one with another over that and really feeling for each other," added Mrs Caskin.


A mother and her four children, believed to be travelling from London to Syria, have been detained in Turkey, police have said.

The family went missing from their home in Waltham Forest, east London, last week and were thought to have left via London City Airport, the Met said.
The mother is being held by Turkish Police. The children, aged from four to 12, were said to be safe and well.
The Met said it was liaising with Turkish authorities.
The BBC's special correspondent Lucy Manning said the 33-year-old mother was thought to be trying to join her sister and brother-in-law who travelled to Syria last year.
The brother-in-law is understood to have been a follower of the radical preacher Anjem Choudary, she added.
Richard Walton, of the Met's counter-terrorism command, thanked the public and the media for helping to find the family.
He said: "We had very real concerns that she may have been planning to travel with her children to Syria and she has now been detained with the children in Turkey."
Police officers first appealed for information about the family after the woman's husband contacted them on Wednesday to report them missing.
It was thought they had flown from London to Amsterdam last Tuesday.
Detectives later found the family had been pictured on security cameras at London City Airport before their flight.
Several cases have been reported recently in which women and children from the UK are thought to have travelled to parts of Syria, under the control of militant group the Islamic State.
More than 40 women and girls travelled to Syria from Britain in the last year, the Met Police has said.


A former Mexican state governor who has been on the run for six months was arrested on Saturday, police said.

Javier Duarte, the former governor of Veracruz state, is suspected of corruption, involvement in organised crime, and embezzling millions.
He was arrested in Guatemala in a joint operation between Interpol and Guatemalan police, Mexico's attorney general said.
He is expected to be extradited to Mexico at a later date.
Guatemalan police said Mr Duarte was found and arrested in a hotel lobby in the city of Solola.
He is suspected of having siphoned off at least 645 million Mexican pesos ($35m; Â£28m) of public money that was put into a series of shell companies.
Mr Duarte resigned his post to face corruption allegations - but then disappeared in October 2016.
When authorities raided a warehouse belonging to him, they discovered a wide array of valuable assets, including many paintings.
A search of his luxury ranch also found 17 paintings believed to be by famous artists such as Joan Miro, Fernando Botero and Leonora Carrington.
Under Mr Duarte, Veracruz also became the most dangerous region of the country for journalists, with 17 killed during his term.
He was suspended from this party, PRI - which is also the party of President Enrique Pena Nieto - before his disappearance.
His political opponents from the National Action Party won the election to fill his position in December.


Hundreds of people have held protests across Pakistan to demand the authorities trace four activists who have gone missing in the past week.

No group has said it is holding them. All four aired views critical of the military or militancy on social media.
Pakistan's parliament expressed grave concern over their fate on Monday.
The government says it is investigating the case of one of the four, Salman Haider, who has campaigned against enforced disappearances in Balochistan.
Supporters of the men accuse the security services of having secretly arrested them.
Demonstrations took place in several major cities.
"This is state bullying. The people who have done this have broken the law," Senator Afrasiab Khatak, a former head of the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, told protesters in Islamabad.
"This country does not belong to any general, or any bureaucrat, or a capitalist or a feudal lord, it belongs to its people. We will not remain silent."
The disappearances have alarmed liberals involved in social activism in Pakistan, where the military has long promoted a hardline Islamist narrative as a bulwark to protect its financial and security interests.
Many believe the civilian government is feigning ignorance about the men's whereabouts, and see that as all the more reason to believe that military intelligence operatives are involved.
While pro-democracy activists have gone missing, the mosque-madrassah jihadi networks continue to occupy vast spaces in public discourse and social media in Pakistan.
And the pro-democracy lobby are coming under attack for their activism from anti-liberal accounts on social media.
Salman Haider, a well-known poet and university professor, was last seen in Islamabad on Friday, two days after bloggers Waqas Goraya and his cousin Asim Saeed went missing in Lahore.
Another blogger, Ahmed Raza Naseer, who has polio, disappeared from his shop in Skeikhupura near Lahore on Saturday.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said it was "greatly alarmed" by their disappearance.
"The events of the last week demonstrate that the dangers already extend to digital spaces," it said, adding it could not be sure if the four cases were connected.
Human Rights Watch said the government had an immediate obligation to locate the four men and ensure their safety.
"The nature of these apparent abductions puts the... government on notice that it can either be part of the solution or it will be held responsible for its role in the problem," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
Pakistan is one of the the world's most dangerous countries for reporters and human rights activists, and critics of the powerful military have been detained, beaten or killed.
Leading English-language daily Dawn said that the authorities could not hide an "ugly truth".
"A dark new chapter in the state's murky, illegal war against civil society appears to have been opened," it said in an editorial.


Malaysia's opposition alliance has collapsed just months after its leader, Anwar Ibrahim, was jailed for sodomy.

Under Mr Anwar, the so-called People's Alliance coalition had made significant gains and posed the biggest threat to Malaysia's governing coalition since the country's independence.
But in the wake of his arrest the three parties clashed over policies.
Prior to the break up, Prime Minister Najib Razak's own ruling coalition had been struggling to win back votes.
The dispute began over an attempt by the conservative Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) to enforce a form of Islamic law called hudud.
The more liberal and ethnic Chinese-dominated Democractic Action Party (DAP) objected to the move and the two parties voted to sever ties with one another.
Mr Anwar's multi-faith and multi-ethnic Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) declared on Wednesday that the alliance "no longer functions formally."
The future of the opposition is unclear as a few parties say they will still work with each other and some analysts said a reconciliation was possible.
Mr Anwar was in February jailed for five years after losing his appeal on a sodomy charge, which he claims was politically motivated.
The next general elections are due in 2018.


The issue of drinking alcohol in Saudi Arabia has come sharply into focus once again after a British man was caught with homemade wine.

Karl Andree, 74, was arrested by Saudi religious police and has spent more than a year in prison - it had been reported that he was also facing 360 lashes but it has since emerged that he was going to be spared flogging because of his age and ill-health.
Alcohol is prohibited in Saudi Arabia and the Foreign Office warns Britons not to flout these rules - but how easy is it to get your hands on booze out there, despite this strict ban?
Tony, a 49-year-old Briton, has worked around much of Saudi Arabia as a business consultant, and lived there for almost five years. He is currently out of the country but plans to return.
He says those living on the compounds populated by Westerners have access to mainly homemade wine and beer, as well as "a spirit known as Sidique, which is basically neat distilled alcohol".
"If you are on the compounds you will find that quite a few expats will brew their own - I certainly did.
"Some of the compounds have clubs for brewing and even competitions. The big thing with brewing was never to sell it, as that was normally when the problems happened."
He adds that on a visit to the supermarket, an expat can often be seen "loading up his trolley with a couple of cases of fruit juice and a large bag of sugar" - the ingredients for brewing alcohol.
"Booze is a big thing on the compounds - they really are like little holiday camps. There are a couple that manage to smuggle in the real stuff and some of the bigger ones have bars that the Saudis turn a blind eye to.
"The Saudis have turned a blind eye to what goes on within the compounds for a very long time.
"There is quite a drinking culture with the Saudis themselves. Most of the guys that I socialise with have stocks of Jack Daniels and other booze, as well as buying stuff that some of the expats brew."
Transporting alcohol around is fraught with danger, Tony says, due to the many road blocks frequently in force.
"I used to have a lot of parties in a place called Obhur which is close to Jeddah - there you can hire villas with swimming pools and high walls.
"But I never bought alcohol there by myself as the risk was just too great. I always asked a Saudi friend to transport it - if they got stopped they would just give the police a bottle and they would be on their way again without a problem.
"The problem is if the Mutawa, the religious police, get involved as they will not turn a blind eye."
Tony also says that many of the "better off" Saudis would go to these places for parties, so the police would never raid unless they were tipped off that there was a problem and who was there.
"Even if there is no-one influential there it would normally be OK, unless you made excessive noise or upset anyone," he adds.
"Sometimes if you upset someone in a position of authority or that knows someone in a position of authority then you can be targeted."
John, 78, who lives in Staffordshire, worked in Saudi Arabia for eight years, leaving in 2007.
He brewed his own alcohol, had access to "good brands" of black market whisky, and says there were "very few" expats he knew who did not drink or brew their own beer and spirits.
"The general rule is, so long as you kept it quiet on your compound, the police wouldn't bother you," he says.
"But there were raids by the religious police, so it was always a risk, particularly if there was a party going on. They would take everything away, you included.
"There was a risk, but it was considered to be a slight risk. So long as you didn't advertise what you were doing you were fairly safe."
John does say that if he was at a high-spirited party where things got "rowdy" then he would leave, in case it drew attention and got raided.
"At some compounds the rules were very, very strict. If the Saudi owner lived there, then it was a subdued party. But if the rules were more relaxed at other places, you could relax more.
"I knew lads who had sophisticated equipment, stills and the like. They would distil pure alcohol, which you would buy and then water down. You could buy that fairly easily if you knew the right people. It was quite a big business."
John says the Saudis he worked with ignored the drinking culture of their Western colleagues, so long as it did not involve them.
"But it is against the rules, so if you got caught you only had yourself to blame."


A man has been detained following a bomb scare in the centre of Liverpool.

Police negotiators were called to a building in Silkhouse Court - believed to be a solicitors' office - in Tithebarn Street at about 10:30 GMT.
Staff working there referred on Twitter to a "bomb scare on the fifth floor" and then evacuated the building.
Police said nobody was injured in the incident, but warned the area would remain cordoned off until a full search of the premises had been completed.
Several streets were sealed off while police tried to negotiate with the man.
Tithebarn Street and Old Hall Street at the junction with Union Street were closed and there was also disruption in Chapel Street, George Street and Exchange Street.
Follow updates on this developing story and more from across Merseyside.


Newly appointed Business Secretary Sajid Javid has said there will be "significant changes" to strike laws under the new Conservative government.

A strike affecting essential public services will need the backing of 40% of eligible union members under government plans, he said.
Currently, a strike is valid if backed by a majority of those balloted.
Unions said the plans "will make legal strikes close to impossible".
Mr Javid told the BBC's Today programme: "We've already made clear, in terms of strike laws, that there will be some significant changes... it will be a priority of ours.
"We need to update our strike laws. We've never hidden away the changes we want to make. I think it's essential to make these changes," he added.
A strike affecting health, transport, fire services or schools will need to be backed by 40% of eligible union members.
There will also need to be a minimum 50% turnout in strike ballots.
The government will also lift restrictions on the use of agency staff to replace striking workers, he said.
The changes to the law are to be announced in the Queen's Speech, he added, which will take place later this month.
Changes to trade union rules will be part of one of the first bills brought forward by the government, Mr Javid told BBC business editor Kamal Ahmed.
"The changes that we want to make to strike laws are... proportionate, they're sensible. If you look at other countries and what they've done they're not too dissimilar," he said.
The Conservatives had wanted to change strike rules during the coalition, but had been blocked by the Lib Dems, he said.
"What people are fed up of is strike action that hasn't been properly supported by the members of the relevant union.
"We've seen, including in the last five years, strike action that took place where perhaps only 10% to 15% of the members of that profession actually voted for it, and that's not right, it's unfair, especially when it comes to essential public services.
"Think of the impact it has - transport, health services - on ordinary people, going about their daily jobs - they should be in people's minds."
He said the alterations to the law would make it harder for people to go on strike.
"By increasing the thresholds it will certainly increase the hurdles that need to be crossed, but that's the right thing to do, it's the fair thing to do."
The TUC said the changes to the law would favour the UK's "worst bosses".
"This is a government not so much on the side of hard working people, but Britain's worst bosses - those who want their staff to be on zero-hours contracts, poverty pay and unable to effectively organise in a union so that they can do something about it," said TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady.
"The government's proposals on union ballots will make legal strikes close to impossible. Union negotiators will be left with no more power than Oliver Twist when he asked for more.
"After five years of falling living standards, the prospects for decent pay rises have just got a whole lot worse."
The Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT), which has voted to strike over pay and conditions, said that trade unions would "unite to fight these attacks".
"These proposed new laws would mean one form of democracy for the greedy political class and another for the organised working class," said RMT general secretary Mick Cash.
However, the CBI business lobby group said that "strikes should always be the result of a clear, positive decision by those balloted".
Katja Hall, CBI deputy director general, said: "The introduction of a threshold is an important - but fair - step to rebalance the interests of employers, employees, the public and the rights of trade unions.
"For nearly five years the CBI has been saying that recruiting agency workers to plug gaps during a strike is not about threatening strikers' jobs, but providing essential cover during periods of action so businesses can continue to serve their customers.
"The abolition of this restriction is long overdue."


New car sales in Scotland grew last month but at half the rate of the UK as a whole, according to motor traders.

Just over 46,000 vehicles were registered north of the border - a year-on-year increase of more than 2.7%.
However, UK sales increased by 5.3% to almost 519,000 - the strongest month recorded since 1999.
March is typically the biggest month, accounting for about a fifth of the year's car registrations.
Last month saw Vauxhall retain its position as market leader in Scotland, with more than 10,000 units sold.
The Vauxhall Corsa remained the most popular new car, while the Ford Fiesta had a strong month and moved into the number two spot for the year to date.
The figures were compiled by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Top Scottish sellers in March
1. Vauxhall Corsa 2,575
2. Ford Fiesta  1,772
3. Vauxhall Astra 1,249
4. Ford Focus 1,126
5. Volkswagen Polo 1,077
Source: SMMT
Scottish Motor Trade Association chief executive Sandy Burgess said: "All areas have experienced growth with the exception of Dumfries and Galloway and Strathclyde.
"The reductions however are minimal and with the fantastic growth on 2015 numbers elsewhere, we have come out of this critical sales period well ahead for the year to date.
"We have been aware of some dealers who were experiencing new vehicle delivery issues towards the end of the month, and this may well have had a small but noticeable negative effect.
"The rest of the UK continues to show stronger growth but as we have mentioned previously this may not all be down to sales with specific manufacturers and dealers taking tactical decisions on registrations."


A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the bodies of a woman and two children were found at a flat in the Toxteth area of Liverpool.

Police were called to a ground floor flat on Falkner Street shortly before 19:30 BST.
A 30-year-old man was detained before being taken to hospital after falling ill.
Merseyside Police believe the incident is domestic related. They are not looking for anyone else.
The force added that a post mortem examination will be carried out to establish the causes of death.
As a precaution, and on advice from Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service following a report of a fuel leak inside the property, buildings on Falkner Street were evacuated.
Residents have been allowed back into their properties, with the exception of the properties either side of the address.
Detectives are appealing for anyone who may have information to contact them.


England have called up uncapped Middlesex left-arm spinner Alex Hartley for the first two games of their one-day international series with Pakistan.

Spinner Rebecca Grundy and seamer Natasha Farrant, who were both in England's squad for the recent Women's World Twenty20, are not included.
The three-match series is Heather Knight's first as captain, following the retirement of Charlotte Edwards.
The first game takes place on Monday at Leicester (14:00 BST).
"Alex has worked incredibly hard at her game over the last 12-18 months, and I have been very impressed with her skill as a left-arm spinner in the time that I have been working with her," said coach Mark Robinson.
As well as Grundy and Farrant, the other names missing from the World T20 squad are Edwards and Lydia Greenway, who have both retired from internationals, and Sarah Taylor who is taking a break from cricket to deal with anxiety issues.
In Taylor's absence, Amy Jones will keep wicket, with batter Lauren Winfield - who was left out of the World T20 - as back-up keeper.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Fellow batter Fran Wilson, added to the list of centrally contracted players last year, returns to the squad having played her last international in 2011, while uncontracted seamer Beth Langston is ruled out with an ankle injury.
Robinson added: "Monday is going to be a very proud day for our new captain and vice-captain, Heather Knight and Anya Shrubsole.
"Pakistan cannot be underestimated. They showed everyone during the World Twenty20 how dangerous they can be, when they beat the hosts India on their own patch."
Full squad: Heather Knight (capt), Anya Shrubsole (vice-capt), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Georgia Elwiss, Jenny Gunn, Alexandra Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones (wk), Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver, Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield, Danielle Wyatt.


It's been 350 years since the Great Fire of London started.

2 September 2016 Last updated at 07:34 BST
It was a four day blaze, which swept through Britain's capital, destroying large parts of it.
To mark the anniversary, a model replica of London will be burned, and new stamps have been designed.
But what exactly happened and how did it change the city's history?
Jenny has been taking a look back.


Carlisle United's vice president has said that a "billionaire" is interested in investing in the club.

The club was in talks with businessman, Andrew Lapping, over a potential deal but he has now pulled out.
A statement on Carlisle's website on Tuesday said the new potential investor had "expressed a genuine and firm interest in taking the club forward."
Chairman Andrew Jenkins added: "It is our duty to get the best possible deal for the long-term future of the club."
"Therefore, it is essential that we take time to consider this latest development," he said.
The Cumbrians' vice president Andy Bell revealed on his Twitter account that the unnamed billionaire would "work alongside any current local investors".
"This may have come at a bad time but has to be looked into and checked out," he added.
Mr Lapping has not ruled out making another offer to the club if talks with the new investor break down.
"I'm stepping aside to let them get on with it," he said.
"If it fails they know where I am and I will take a view then."


Mortar rounds have been fired at a crowd of demonstrators in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, killing six and injuring at least 35.

Several hundred people were protesting against a proposed UN-backed peace deal that would form a new unity government.
The mortars were fired from an Islamist-held district, a police spokesman told AP news agency.
Over the last year, Benghazi has seen fierce clashes between the military and various Islamist brigades.
Among them are Ansar al-Sharia and groups that have pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State militant group.
Friday's protest in central Benghazi was against proposals, brokered by the United Nations envoy to Libya, for a new unity government.
The proposal was made after nearly a year of talks between the Islamist-backed parliament in Tripoli and the internationally recognised administration in the east.
Both parliaments will have to vote on whether to accept the deal but many MPs across the country have dismissed the plan.


Inverness Caley Thistle dropped back to the bottom of the Premiership following their 13th draw of the season.

Kilmarnock skipper Kris Boyd drilled in the opening goal from the penalty spot after Jordan Jones was upended by a crude Brad McKay challenge.
Billy Mckay levelled with a smart shot on the turn before the break.
In a wide open second half, both goalkeepers were kept busy, with Owain Fon Williams at full stretch to deny Killie's Callum Roberts.
The Highlanders began the day above Hamilton on goal difference but Accies found a late goal to sink nine-man St Johnstone.
This was a 12th draw of the league campaign for Kilmarnock, who remain seventh - four points behind Partick Thistle, so perhaps the outcome was no surprise.
Inverness have not lost too many games since the turn of the year but wins remain rare.
This was exactly the type of game at home that they must start capitalising on, with games running out, but slackness proved costly.
Billy King lost possession cheaply, Jones surged into the box and a lunging McKay could not cope, bringing the winger to the ground for a clear penalty on 19 minutes.
Boyd thumped the ball directly into the corner.
However, the hosts have a reliable striker of their own and when David Raven's cross broke to Mckay and he swivelled to find the net off the inside of a post.
Mckay was unlucky late on with first time shot which Freddie Woodman saved well, with the visiting keeper also thwarting Greg Tansey and Larnell Cole with impressive stops.
It's another point but home manager Richie Foran really needs wins at this stage.
This point isn't a bad result for the visitors, who have a margin of safety in the league.
The bright spark for them was Jones. He was direct when given the opportunity with pace that had McKay all at sea in the first half.
The winger followed McKay from right-back to left-back when he switched, with the defender replaced at half time after a torrid 45 minutes.
Jones also produced a few quality deliveries, one of which Boyd really ought to have smashed home but the experienced striker mishit his volley in front of goal.
He was also unlucky from close range with a shot that was creeping inside the post but Fon Williams did enough.
Kilmarnock claimed penalty when Gary Warren challenged Boyd on the edge of the box but the defender appeared to get a nick on the ball.
The visitors finished the stronger side and Greg Kiltie and Callum Roberts were also denied by good Fon Williams saves.
Lee McCulloch's side is operating very effectively. They look solid and remain in touch with a top six place and six points away from the relegation play-off spot.
Inverness CT manager Richie Foran: "We were the better team for most of the game. Over the match, probably their keeper is man of the match.
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"I'm delighted with the players' attitude, passion, endeavour. We just lacked that wee bit of composure, a bit of quality in the final third.
"We wanted to win the game today. It brings us a point closer to Ross County but it's a disappointing result for us.
"If the lads were hiding from the ball I'd be worried but I'm not worried at all. I know we'll get a run going. The winning run is coming."
Kilmarnock interim manager Lee McCulloch: "They've beaten Rangers up here. It's a tough place to come. A point is a fair result.
"We finished the game with seven teenagers, so it just shows the character we've got in the dressing room.
"We could've nicked it in the end. Overall, Inverness had the bulk of possession but, possibly, we had the better chances.
"It's another week towards safety. The next two games are massive - Rangers at home, Celtic away. We thought it was important as a staff that we didn't get beat today."
Match ends, Inverness CT 1, Kilmarnock 1.
Second Half ends, Inverness CT 1, Kilmarnock 1.
Corner,  Kilmarnock. Conceded by Ross Draper.
Foul by Kevin McNaughton (Inverness CT).
Sean Longstaff (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner,  Kilmarnock. Conceded by Kevin McNaughton.
Gary Warren (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Kris Boyd (Kilmarnock).
Corner,  Kilmarnock. Conceded by Owain Fon Williams.
Attempt saved. Callum Roberts (Kilmarnock) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Substitution, Inverness CT. Liam Polworth replaces Larnell Cole.
Attempt missed. Conor Sammon (Kilmarnock) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is too high.
Foul by Jamie McCart (Inverness CT).
Karleigh Osborne (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt saved. Gary Warren (Inverness CT) right footed shot from very close range is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner,  Inverness CT. Conceded by Kristoffer Ajer.
Corner,  Inverness CT. Conceded by Greg Taylor.
Attempt saved. Greg Kiltie (Kilmarnock) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. Sean Longstaff (Kilmarnock) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution, Kilmarnock. Callum Roberts replaces Jordan Jones.
Corner,  Inverness CT. Conceded by Gary Dicker.
Louis Laing (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Kris Boyd (Kilmarnock).
Attempt missed. Ross Draper (Inverness CT) header from the left side of the box misses to the left.
Gary Dicker (Kilmarnock) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Jake Mulraney (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Gary Dicker (Kilmarnock).
Attempt saved. Billy McKay (Inverness CT) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Louis Laing (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Greg Kiltie (Kilmarnock).
Corner,  Kilmarnock. Conceded by Owain Fon Williams.
Attempt saved. Jordan Jones (Kilmarnock) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Attempt blocked. Gary Dicker (Kilmarnock) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Jake Mulraney (Inverness CT) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Greg Taylor (Kilmarnock).
Ross Draper (Inverness CT) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Gary Dicker (Kilmarnock).
Attempt missed. Kris Boyd (Kilmarnock) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
Foul by Larnell Cole (Inverness CT).
Sean Longstaff (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick in the attacking half.


Lewis Hamilton's title hopes suffered a second blow in a week as he finished third in the Japanese Grand Prix, won by team-mate Nico Rosberg.

The Briton made a poor start and initially dropped to eighth in Suzuka, which comes after an engine failure cost him in Malaysia last weekend.
Hamilton is now 33 points behind the German with only 100 still available in the remaining four races.
The result means Mercedes have won the constructors' championship again.
Hamilton did recover with aggressive driving and strategy but Rosberg was serene throughout.
Rosberg's ninth victory of the season means he can now afford to finish second behind Hamilton in all the remaining races and still win the championship.
The win Hamilton badly needed after the blow of Malaysia was always going to be difficult after he was beaten to pole by Rosberg by just 0.013 seconds, and it was made impossible within a second or two of the start.
Hamilton's side of the grid was damper than Rosberg's after overnight rain. The world champion said that had nothing to do with his terrible start - "I just made a mistake," Hamilton said. Team boss Toto Wolff said: "Our first assessment is it didn't function well on the clutch release."
He was swamped by those behind him and down to eighth by the first corner.
Hamilton passed Force India's Nico Hulkenberg on the outside into Turn One on lap seven but otherwise drove a controlled first stint, running slightly longer - to lap 13 - than those in front of him.
It was an inspired move by Mercedes' strategists, as Hamilton jumped Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari and Force India's Sergio Perez and then passed Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull down the straight towards the flat-out 130R corner further around the lap.
That put him into a de facto fourth behind Rosberg, Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, and the Williams cars that had not yet stopped.
Hamilton then quickly passed Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas to move into an actual fourth place and set his sights on Vettel.
Hamilton closed from nearly 14 seconds behind the Ferrari on lap 15 to 4.2 on lap 32, and then stopped on the next lap.
Vettel followed him in a lap later and came out behind, but on the faster soft tyres rather than the hard ones that Hamilton was using.
The German quickly closed in on his first two laps out of the pits but Hamilton soon began to edge away, and began instead to close on Verstappen's second place.
Hamilton caught Verstappen with nine laps to go but, despite the Mercedes being a faster car on tyres fresher by five laps, the Dutchman controlled his position superbly and Hamilton could not pass.
Hamilton made a last-ditch attempt on the penultimate lap on the outside line at the chicane but went straight on, complaining over the radio that Verstappen had "moved under braking", which drivers have a gentlemen's agreement not to do, although it is not specifically outlawed.
Mercedes lodged a protest against Verstappen's move but later withdrew the complaint after Hamilton tweeted: "It is not what we do. We are champions, we move on. End of!"
Hamilton's recovery limited the damage to his title hopes, on a weekend when he found himself embroiled in controversy over his behaviour in two separate news conferences.
Insiders believed that Hamilton's decision not to take questions from the written media after qualifying, and say he was planning to limit his future attendances at such conferences, was influenced by the pressure of seeing Rosberg take pole and the title fight going badly.
But while Hamilton made headlines off the track, Rosberg was writing his on it, dominating the entire weekend - fastest in all practice sessions, beating Hamilton to pole position and cruising to a comfortable win as Hamilton's drama unfolded behind him.
Hamilton is relying on a bad race from Rosberg or a technical failure - which have disproportionately affected the Englishman this season at Mercedes - to have a chance.
Vettel drove strongly in the first stint after narrowly avoiding collecting Hamilton off the start to move up to third, but the frustration of losing ground to Hamilton led him to make some angry radio messages, particularly about back markers ignoring blue flags that warn them a faster car is behind and they should let it by.
Nevertheless, his drive was a timely riposte to team boss Maurizio Arrivabene, who had told Italian television that Vettel needed to "earn" a new contract at Ferrari beyond 2017 and said he needed to be less distracted by team business and focus more on driving.
His team-mate Kimi Raikkonen finished behind him, winning a battle with Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, well ahead of the two Force Indias and Williams.
It was a dire weekend for McLaren at engine partner Honda's home race, a poor qualifying with a surprisingly uncompetitive car leading to a difficult race towards the back for Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, who finished 16th and 18th.
"What an awesome weekend," said Rosberg inevitably. "It's beautiful to win here and congratulations to my colleagues and team for clinching constructors' championship - let's celebrate hard."
Hamilton said: "Congratulations to the team, I'm very proud to be part of it. I did the best I could from where I was in the race. I will give it everything I have got [for the rest of the season] and we will see what happens."
Japanese Grand Prix results
Japanese Grand Prix coverage details


The first African winner in Google's annual coding competition is 370km (230 miles) from home, sitting outside his cousins' house in the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde, because the government has cut off his hometown from the internet.

As cocks crow in the background, 17-year-old Nji Collins Gbah tells the BBC about the series of complex technical tasks he completed for Google between November and mid-January.
Nji had thrown himself into the contest, using knowledge gained from two years of learning how to code, mainly from online sources and books, as well as other skills he was picking up on the fly.
The prestigious Google Code-in is open to pre-university students worldwide between the ages of 13 and 17. This year more than 1,300 young people from 62 countries took part.
By the time entries closed, Nji had completed 20 tasks, covering all five categories set by Google. One task alone took a whole week to finish.
And then just a day after the deadline for final submissions, the internet went dead.
Nji lives in Bamenda in Cameroon's North-West, a journey of about seven hours by road from the capital (according to Google).
It is an English-speaking region where there are long-held grievances about discrimination and what people see as the Francophone establishment's failure to respect the status of English as an official language of Cameroon.
In recent months, disgruntlement has escalated into street protests and strikes by lawyers and teachers.
The authorities have responded with scores of arrests and a text-message campaign warning people of long jail terms for "spreading false news" or "malicious use of social media".
Cutting off the internet, an act still unacknowledged by the government, is seen by rights activists as both punishment and a blunt tool for holding back dissent.
Why has Cameroon blocked the internet?
Cameroon's victorious footballers mock minister
For an ambitious, tech-savvy though outwardly unpolitical teenager like Nji, whose school was already closed because of the protests, living without the internet was unthinkable.
As it was becoming clear that the outage was more than temporary, Nji received some unexpected news - he had been chosen as one of Google's 34 grand prize winners.
"I was really, really amazed," he says. "It meant my hard work writing a lot of code had really paid off."
But a champion coder without the internet will not stay on top of his game for long. Hence the trip to Yaounde.
"I wanted to get a connection so I could continue studying and keep in touch with Google," says Nji.
In due course, he hopes to finish school back in Bamenda, and then study computer science at a good university.
As part of his prize from Google, Nji will spend four days in June at the tech giant's Silicon Valley headquarters, meeting its top engineers and gaining insight into one of the world's most successful enterprises.
"Hopefully I would like to work there one day, if that is possible," he says.
At the moment, Nji says he is hard at work building his knowledge of artificial intelligence, neural networks and deep learning.
"I'm trying to develop my own model for data compression, using deep learning and machine learning," he says.
His eventual goal is a "huge step" forward in capabilities for data transfer and storage.
In a few days, Nji will turn 18, having already won international recognition for his achievements.
He admits to having gone back through previous years' Code-in prize announcements to double-check he was the first African winner.
When I ask, he says he has received congratulations from "a lot of friends and family and some people I don't really know".
Has anyone from the government been in touch?
"No, no-one," he says.
Back in Bamenda, a city of 500,000 and home to one of the continent's brightest young technologists, they wonder when the government will plug the internet back in.


An official report has described how an American fighter jet flew directly below a glider over the Black Mountains in Powys.

The incident happened near Talgarth on 30 July as the glider soared at 1,600ft (488m) in an area known as Gospel Pass.
The US Air Force F-15 was flying at 517mph (832km/h) at an altitude of 500ft (152m).
The glider pilot told experts the risk of collision was "high". Neither was fitted with warning equipment.
At the time of the incident, the aircrafts were outside controlled airspace, flying on Visual Flight Rules (VFR) where pilots are required to "see and avoid" each other.
The F-15 pilot, who is based in the UK, said he was aware of a gliding club in the area but had not seen the other aircraft and did not believe there was a risk of a collision.
The Black Mountains Gliding Club told officials there had been informal agreements with RAF Harrier pilots in the 1990s to keep the fast jets and gliders apart.
The gliding club suggested that the arrangement with military pilots should be reinstated but Airprox board officials said there should be more formal restrictions on flying in the area.
Experts concluded neither pilot had seen the other aircraft in time to take evasive action and the risk was category B - a medium risk.


A review of student finance in Wales is being widened to consider support for students doing apprenticeships, access and foundation courses.

Education Minister Huw Lewis said evidence gathered by Prof Sir Ian Diamond showed the need for a "joined-up approach", considering links between further and higher education.
The review has been examining the current tuition fee subsidy policy.
Sir Ian said there had been calls for change, but no agreed alternative.
His final report is due by September.


Henrik Stenson edged closer to victory in the Race to Dubai with a third-round 70 at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

The Open champion moved to five under for the tournament, eight behind leader Victor Dubuisson, who carded a 64.
Nearest challenger Danny Willett saw his chances fade with a 76 to be tied for 51st on one over.
Sweden's Alex Noren (69) is joint 13th, needing a top-two finish to put pressure on compatriot Stenson.
World number two Rory McIlroy, who needs to win and hope that several other permutations fall into place for him to finish number one on the European Tour for a third straight year, is tied on five under with Stenson after scoring a four-under 68.
Having continued his struggles of the first two days into day three, with bogeys on holes four, six and 10, Stenson finally clicked into gear in the afternoon sunshine in Dubai as he holed five birdies in the last seven holes - including chipping straight in from the greenside rough on 16.
He said: "I turned it around at least and, yeah, I've got to be pretty pleased with the way we managed to play on the way home."
Stenson, who won this tournament with a course-record 25 under total at the Earth Course in 2013, leads the Race to Dubai by 299,675 points from Masters champion Willett.
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The Wales Green Party has named its new leader at the opening of a campaign office in Cardiff.

Alice Hooker-Stroud, assembly election candidate for Mid and West Wales, will take over from Pippa Bartolotti.
"This is an exciting time for the Wales Green Party - we enter the Welsh assembly election as a determined and energetic party, we can and we will win seats," said Ms Hooker-Stroud.
Hannah Pudner will succeed Anthony Slaughter as deputy leader.
"The Wales Green Party has the solutions to many of the problems we face in our communities," said Ms Hooker-Stroud, an activist and events assistant from Machynlleth, Powys.
"Solutions that tackle not just social, but environmental problems, solutions not just for local problems, but global problems too."
Ms Bartolotti, who is stepping down after four years at the helm, said:  "Over the last few years the Wales Green Party has gone from strength to strength and, as we build momentum to the Welsh assembly elections in May, it will carry on doing so.
"Voters are ready to hear people speak out with real solutions and that is what the Wales Green Party offers.
"I look forward to working with Alice over the coming months and supporting her during her leadership."
The new Wales Green Party office will be run by campaign manager Dan Boyle, a former Green MP in Ireland.
He said it was a "momentous time" for the party and he had "every confidence" the first Green AMs would be elected in May.
"We have an excellent set of candidates, a strong and motivated supporter base, and the infrastructure to realise our potential," he said.


College lecturers in Scotland have overwhelmingly backed industrial action over a pay dispute.

The result of an indicative ballot by the EIS Further Education Lecturers Association (EIS-Fela) showed 92% supporting action and 8% against.
Lecturers are to hold a protest later to highlight their concerns about further education.
EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan called the result of the vote "very clear".  Turnout was 55%.
Because it was an indicative ballot, the union would have to organise a further vote before industrial action could begin.
EIS-Fela has argued the college sector in Scotland has been under attack.
Lecturers are calling on the education secretary to inject extra cash into Scotland's colleges in the wake of what they called "draconian cuts".
The Scottish government said it had a strong track record on colleges and had provided significant investment.
Colleges Scotland, the body that represents colleges, said it was disappointed over the action.
Mr Flanagan said: "In an environment where millions of pounds of cuts have been imposed, where certain college managers are awarding themselves pay increases of more than 5%, where some principals have manoeuvred massive pay-offs for themselves, and where hundreds of millions of pounds of college funds have been stashed in secretive Arm's Length Foundations, the management side's 1% pay offer is an insult to hard-working lecturing staff and their support staff colleagues."
He added: "Should no acceptable offer be made, the EIS Executive will consider the next steps to be taken in pursuit of the 2015-16 pay claim.
"Given this very strong message from the indicative ballot the most likely action would be a move to a statutory ballot for industrial action in the new year.
"It is also now time for the Scottish government to act to ensure that national bargaining delivers a fair and acceptable pay offer from college management."
The demonstration will take place outside the offices of the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFC) in Edinburgh.
John Kelly, EIS-Fela President, said: "The main focus of our lobby here today is to highlight the appalling attacks which further education provision in colleges has come under over the past few years.
"The SFC has implemented draconian cuts on further education colleges which have been exacerbated further by light touch regulation.
"We are calling on (education secretary) Angela Constance to inject more money into the sector, however at the same time we are also urging the SFC to switch off the green light which has been shown to colleges allowing them to spend on a few, at the expense of further education students and staff."
Shona Struthers, chief executive of Colleges Scotland, said: "We hope that no students have been disrupted because of today's unofficial demonstration.
"While we recognise that there have been a few legacy issues, they should not detract from the excellent work that colleges do for the benefit of students and the hard work and dedication of staff in colleges."
A Scottish government spokesman said: "This government has a strong track record on colleges and recognises that they are vital to Scotland's success.
"We have invested significantly in colleges since 2007 and are providing resource funding of £526m to the sector in 2015-16.
"The Scottish Government remains committed to national bargaining in our further education sector.
"However, we recognise that moving towards this approach was always going to be challenging given the level of change required.
"For this reason, we consider this year to be a transitional year where we expect a willingness on both sides to move things forward; not everything can be achieved quickly, or all at once.
"We have been clear that the college severance arrangements described in the Auditor General's report were completely unacceptable."
Jamie McIvor, BBC Scotland Education correspondent
Mergers in any field can often be difficult - they can lead to job losses and the inevitable challenges of  bringing together the culture and practices of different institutions.
These concerns were exacerbated by rows over pay offs for some senior staff. The public spending watchdog raised concerns about the practices followed by some.
At the former Coatbridge College there were claims of collusion though, when questioned by MSPs, the former principal denied any wrongdoing.
Indeed at some colleges, the merger process itself has been difficult.
Read Jamie's analysis here.


Double Olympic champion Mo Farah missed out on his bid to win the London Marathon 2014.

Farah, 31, who was running his first competitive marathon, finished in eighth place. He also missed out on breaking the British record.
Wilson Kipsang from Kenya won the event in a new course record. Stanley Biwott came second and Tsegaye Kebede third.
Kenya's Edna Kiplagat won the women's elite race with Florence Kiplagat in second and Tirunesh Dibaba third.
Visit BBC Local Live for all the latest on the marathon
World record holder Kipsang crossed the line in a time of two hours, four minutes and 29 seconds.
Farah - the Olympic and world champion at both 5,000m and 10,000m - had been the bookies' most backed runner in the history of the event.
He had also aimed to beat Steve Jones' British record of 2:07:13 seconds which has stood since 1985 - but missed out by finishing in 2:08:21.
After the race he told the BBC: "I will be back. I gave it a go but I'm disappointed I didn't give a bit more than the crowd deserved.
"It was the strongest field ever brought together by the London Marathon. It would have been wrong to do any other marathon. This is my hometown."
Steve Jones said Farah's first competitive marathon was "extremely good" and he was "honoured not to have my record broken".
After the race men's winner Kipsang, said: "I was feeling good and took advantage of controlling the pace and controlling the guys."
The other Britons who finished the men's elite race were Scott Overall, Craig Hopkins and debutants Chris Thompson and Ben Livesey.
In the women's race, British runners Amy Whitehead and Emma Stepto finished in 13th and 14th places with times of two hours, 34 minutes and 20 seconds and two hours 36 minutes and five seconds.
Britain's David "Weirwolf" Weir lost his bid to become the best wheelchair racer in the event's history.
He had been aiming to win his seventh title but was beaten into second place by Switzerland's Marcel Hug.
American Tatyana McFadden took the elite women's wheelchair race title, a month after winning a silver medal at the Winter Olympics for cross-country skiing.
Legions of fun-runners taking part in the event raised thousands of pounds for charity.
Celebrities including former Liverpool and England footballer Michael Owen, Game of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer, and Michelin-star chef Michel Roux Jr were just some of those who took up the challenge.
Nine MPs also tackled the course with Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls running his third consecutive London Marathon.
Sisters Katie, 23, and Polly Ryall, 21, from Newbury, Berkshire, fell short of their quest to become the fastest pair of female siblings to run a marathon.
The pair needed a combined time of five hours, nine minutes and 14 seconds to break the record, but knew before they finished they had not achieved it.
In the 34th year of the event there were also 15 runners who have competed every year.
Race starters Grainger and Watkins, who won the women's double sculls gold at the London 2012 Games, were two of 13 London Olympics gold medallists who took on the famous course from Blackheath to The Mall.
Olympic stars to start marathon


Scottish singer Susan Boyle has revealed she has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.

The star, who shot to fame after appearing on Britain's Got Talent in 2009, had spent years believing she suffered slight brain damage at birth.
In an interview with The Observer newspaper she told of her relief at finally getting a "clearer understanding" of her condition.
But she vowed: "It will not make any difference to my life."
Asperger's is a form of autism which typically means people with the condition struggle with their emotions and have difficulty in social situations, often unable to pick up on non-verbal cues.
Boyle, 52, revealed she was misdiagnosed after complications at birth.
She said: "It was the wrong diagnosis when I was a kid.
"I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong and I feel relieved and a bit more relaxed about myself."
The singer has gone on to become one of the best-selling British female artists and recently had a cameo role in the festive film The Christmas Candle.
Last year a musical based on her life toured cities in the UK and Republic of Ireland and she has also said a film about her rise to fame is being planned.
Boyle said of her recently diagnosed condition: "It will not make any difference to my life. It's just a condition that I have to live with and work through.
"I think people will treat me better because they will have a much greater understanding of who I am and why I do the things I do."