Hazardous sea conditions have delayed plans to move the Transocean Winner oil rig after it ran aground in the Western Isles in August.

The 16,000-tonne platform was to be loaded from its current location at Broad Bay on the Isle of Lewis onto the back of a ship but the operation was called off due to a sea swell.

Heavy lift carrier OHT Hawk, which weighs 60,000 tonnes, was to be partly submerged below the surface of the bay while the stricken rig was towed into place above it.

The Transocean Winner was grounded near Carloway on Lewis during a storm on August 8 which ruptured its towline.

It was transported to safety two weeks later to Broad Bay and will eventually go to Turkey to be dismantled.

Eight anchors weighing the rig down had already been removed to prepare for the loading operation, and will now have to be temporarily reattached.

A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "Sea conditions on Friday were above the agreed safe limits and therefore prevented the operation to load the Transocean Winner onto the Hawk in Broad Bay, Isle of Lewis.

"The Hawk remained on scene on Saturday but the latest weather forecasts are for the deterioration in wind and sea conditions from Sunday onwards and the Transocean Winner will be put back onto her eight anchors temporarily."

The agency added that salvage expert Hugh Shaw, who was overseeing the operation, will "continue to look at options", including possible relocation to protect the rig from adverse weather conditions.

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.