The lord advocate has apologised to a family who waited 12 years to find out there would be no inquiry into the deaths of their loved ones.

Archie and Murdina MacPherson, their two children, and Mrs MacPherson's father all lost their lives in a storm hit the Western Isles in January 2005.

Following their deaths, their family campaigned for the Crown to hold a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) in the hopes of establishing the cause of their deaths.

The Crown has now confirmed no FAI will be held and lord advocate James Wolffe has apologised to the family for the 12-year delay.

Mr Wolffe, who took up the post last June, expressed his "deep disappointment" at the length of time it took for a decision to be made in a letter to Western Isles SNP MP Angus MacNeil.

He wrote: "The investigation of these tragic deaths was not completed as expeditiously as it should have been and was characterised by delays which I regard as unacceptable.

"That will inevitably have caused further distress to the family and I have written to them to express my sincere apologies for that."

It is widely believed a causeway running between the islands of Benbecula and South Uist acted as a dam during the storm.

Water eventually flooded across nearby roads and is thought to have swept the family's car into the sea.

A spokesman for the Crown Office said: "We have offered our sincerest apologies to the Campbell and MacPherson families for the length of time it has taken to deal with this case.

"Crown Counsel are satisfied that the study has put all the available information in the public domain, including identifying factors for the flooding and recommendations to reduce the risk in the future, and that on that basis there is no requirement to hold an FAI."

The Crown said it would ensure no other families would face such a lengthy delay.

In January 2005, an intense low pressure system hit the west coast of Scotland, whipping up gusts as strong as 115mph and torrential rain.

As the weather worsened, Mr and Mrs MacPherson fled their croft at Kilaulay in South Uist with their children Hannah and Andrew and Murdina's father Calum Campbell.

They hoped to find safety at Mr Macpherson's father's home, which was on higher ground.

The family bundled into two cars to make the short journey but soon ran into heavy flooding.

They were only a few hundred metres away from their destination when their car was swept off the road.

Mr MacPherson's body was discovered by police at 9am the next day, and Mr Campbell was found in his car shortly afterwards. Mrs MacPherson's body was recovered that afternoon.

On January 13, Hannah's body was discovered near her grandparents' home. Andrew's body was found the next day.