Work is underway to demolish a church spire in Argyll and Bute after it was confirmed as unstable.

The condition of Rothersay's West Church has been monitored over recent years and following further investigation work, it was revealed that sections were now dangerous to the public.

In September, the council's building standards team removed the roof and took down the walls to windowsill level.

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Further investigations revealed that the spire too was in a condition that was hazardous to the public, confirmed by a follow up engineering report.

Work to take apart the church spire begin on Tuesday, 3 November.

Head of Planning and Regulatory Services, Angus Gilmour, said: "We appreciate that this building is of historical and cultural significance to the community. We have worked with a local interest group for the past two years to try and find a way forward which could save the building and put it to use as a community asset but the opportunity for that has now passed.

"Nobody likes having to demolish historic buildings but we are left with no choice here – the spire is dangerous and has to come down. Our priority is keeping the public safe and where we have to take action we do."

(LM)