Edinburgh have signed Scott MacLeod after the Scotland lock was released by the Scarlets. The 29-year-old returns to his homeland after two and a half years with the Welsh region.

MacLeod hit the headlines last year when he tested positive for a banned substance and also elevated levels of testosterone. But he was cleared in both cases after his explanations were accepted by the Scottish Rugby Union and UK Sport.

After signing a two-and-a-half year deal with Andy Robinson's side, a delighted MacLeod said: "I definitely feel like I'm making the right move and I'm really excited at the prospect of playing for Edinburgh.

"I was coached by Andy Robinson while on tour with Scotland over in Argentina and working with him on a day-to-day basis will definitely help me to improve as a player.

"He is a hard coach, but he gets the best out of his players. It is the best move I could have made at this stage in my career, especially after going through a difficult year.

"I'm looking forward to a fresh start and working hard towards achieving my career goals for both Edinburgh and Scotland."

MacLeod's return to Scotland – where he played for the now-defunct Border Reivers until 2006 – is another boost for the national head coach Frank Hadden.

Because of the problems Hadden has encountered gaining access to his foreign-based internationals, he is keen for as many of them as possible to join Edinburgh or Glasgow.

Both clubs are at the behest at the SRU when it comes to releasing players for Test matches. MacLeod follows Chris Cusiter in joining one of the two sides this week. The Scotland and British and Irish Lions scrum-half agreed a three-year deal with Glasgow on Tuesday and will link up with them in the summer.