Fishermen are seeking compensation for lost earnings after the grounding of an oil rig on Lewis.

A 980ft-wide exclusion zone has been established around the Transocean Winner, which crashed into rocks near Carloway on August 8.

The Western Isles Fisherman’s Association intends to get compensation for four boats which regularly fish in the area surrounding the rig.

The 17,000-tonne vessel broke free while being towed to be decommissioned in Malta.

It was carrying 270 tonnes of diesel, up to 53 tonnes of which has leaked into the sea.

Its owner plans to pump the remaining fuel into containers aboard the rig above the waterline to minimise the risk of a further spill.

Representatives from Transocean will meet islanders at a meeting on Thursday.

Meanwhile, SNP politicians in the Highlands have signed a joint letter calling for the reintroduction of a second emergency towing vessel (ETV) in Scotland.

Funding for a Western Isles ETV was scrapped by the UK Government in 2010. The last remaining Scottish tug is based in Orkney, about 150 miles from Carloway.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency warned in 2011 that four ETVs stationed across the UK were necessary to prevent disasters.

The first emergency tugs were introduced following the Braer oil spill in Shetland in January 1993, when the MV Braer ran aground and leaked 84,500 tons of crude oil into the sea.

A report published in the wake of the disaster called for the introduction of a fleet of ETVs which could rescue a drifting vessel before it foundered.