The search for two climbers missing on Ben Nevis is unlikely to take place on Friday due to bad weather in the area.

Rachel Slater, 24, and Tim Newton, 27, failed to return from an outing on Britain's highest peak at the weekend.

They were last seen on Sunday but it is understood they did not tell anyone of their climbing plans, leaving rescuers at a loss over where to look for them.

They had been camping behind the Charles Inglis Clark hut, at the bottom of the north face.

Leader of the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, John Stevenson, said the conditions in Fort William on Friday morning were "not great".

The team has been out since Monday although searches were intermittently called off due to high winds, fog, snow and high avalanche risk.

Mr Stevenson told BBC Radio Scotland: "It is very frustrating because we’re trying to get something for the families mainly.

"We've got nothing to go on, we don’t know where to look."

The family of Ms Slater flew over from Canada on Wednesday night to meet the rescue team.

It is understood that a larger team of volunteer mountain rescuers is expected to go onto the hill on Saturday.

Many of the rescuers have had to return to work.

Mr Stevenson added that the presence of fresh snow on top of old snow is making the conditions treacherous.

Two of the mountain rescue team were caught up in an avalanche on Tuesday.

A man died on Wednesday after being caught in an avalanche 19 miles away on Creag Meagaidh.