An emergency towing vessel must be based on the west coast to protect lives at sea, Western Isles Council has said.

Orkney, Shetland and the Hebrides are all served by a single ETV harboured in Kirkwall at present.

Funding for a Stornoway-based ETV was scrapped in the UK Government's 2010 spending review and concerns have repeatedly been raised over the lack of a dedicated vessel in the Hebrides.

But the current emergency towing vessel contract is up for review and the Western Isles Council has raised fears that the Kirkwall ETV could also be cut.

A meeting will be held to discuss plans in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

Council convener Norman MacDonald said: "I believe that the number of incidents over the past few years highlight the very serious risks around our coastal waters.

"It is absolutely essential that we have an additional ETV, based on the west coast, so that we have adequate safety measures in place to respond swiftly to incidents, to protect lives and minimize the risk of environmental damage.

"We remain very concerned, as do colleagues in neighbouring councils, about the current situation - the suggestion that the north based ETV could also be removed when the current contract expires in two months, is quite frankly incomprehensible.

"What we need is additional provision, not a reduction.

“I will reiterate our strong belief that the north based tug contract should be renewed and we will urgently seek a reinstatement of a west coast based ETV.”

Emergency towing vessels were first introduced in 1993 in the wake of the Braer oil spill off the coast of Shetland.