Uist ferry taken out of service due to corroded steel

A CalMac ferry has been removed from service following the discovery of a section of corroded steel.

The MV Lord of the Isles serves the route between Mallaig in the Highlands and Lochboisdale in South Uist.

The ship was taken out of service on Thursday after what CalMac described as "steel wastage", and it was moved to Kennacraig in Argyll for checks.

Traffic has been diverted from Lochboisdale to Lochmaddy in North Uist.

CalMac said the ferry could return to service on Saturday if repairs were successful.

It is the latest disruption on the Western Isles service.

In May, the Lord of the Isles was out of action for two weeks because it needed essential repairs to its firefighting system.