An oil rig which ran aground in the Western Isles will be moved onto the back of a huge ship this week before being taken to Turkey and dismantled.

The 16,000-tonne Transocean Winner grounded near Carloway on Lewis during a storm on August 8.

It was towed to safety two weeks later and taken to Broad Bay on the far side of the island.

The colossal OHT Hawk, which arrived in the islands last week, will sink below the surface of the bay and the Transocean Winner will be towed into position above it.

The 60,000-tonne vessel will then rise slowly back to the surface, lifting the rig onto its back.

Work to remove the eight anchors weighing the Transocean Winner down in Broad Bay gas already begun, a process which will take around 24 hours.

The operation is expected to be completed on Friday but may continue until Saturday.

Salvage expert Hugh Shaw, who is overseeing the move, said: "Our intention all the way along has been to get this operation under way without endangering life or the environment around.

"All the preparation work has been done in anticipation of this moment so that we could be ready when the time comes as it now has."

Coastguard aircraft will survey the area for pollution during the operation.

Two of the Transocean Winner's four fuel tanks ruptured in the collision and spilled about 53,000 litres of diesel into the sea. Most of the oil is believed to have dispersed harmlessly.