Thousands of fish are being "rescued" from a canal as part of a major maintenance project.

A 5km stretch of the Union Canal is being drained to allow for detailed inspections and repairs.

Field scientists have been working at the section near Linlithgow in West Lothian to capture fish before around 30,000 cubic metres of water is taken away.

Work to capture the fish, which include roach, pike, trout and sticklebacks, is expected to continue until the end of the week.

They are being caught through electro-fishing techniques and placed in adjacent areas of the canal while the maintenance works are completed.

The full project is expected to last around five weeks and the team will keep a record of what they find.

Alongside rubbish, coins and discarded bikes, more unusual items such love letters have been found in the canal in the past.

The team at Scottish Canals, which operates the waterway, is using the chance to give the public an insight into the engineering, history and wildlife of the Union Canal.

An open day was held on Tuesday to reflect on the canal's long and varied history, while a second event is planned for February 4.

Richard Millar, director of infrastructure at Scottish Canals, said: "The 200-year-old Union Canal is a much-loved asset that attracts more than ten million visits each year from everyone from boaters and cyclists to joggers and walkers.

"However, many of them visit the waterway without ever seeing all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes and below the waterline to look after the heritage, engineering, and habitats of the scheduled monument.

"The project we're undertaking at Linlithgow is a fantastic chance for the public to see the scale of work that goes into caring for the incredible infrastructure of the Union Canal."