Scottish Secretary Michael Moore will meet with council leaders to find a permanent solution for the future of Scotland's two emergency coastguard tugs.

Mr Moore faced questions on Tuesday morning from Western Isles Council chiefs as he visited the area. He is due to arrange further meetings with leaders from councils in the north over the situation.

The vessels, based in Lewis and Shetland, were withdrawn from service on Friday as part of a UK Government cost-cutting measure.

But the service is to continue for three months after the government pledged £3m to allow the service to continue in the meantime.

The initial move to scrap the tugs sparked outrage, with the Scottish Government, MPs and industry leaders calling for a reversal of the decision.

Now the government is looking to keep the tugs in place as it looks to examine other funding options for the service.