New phase for 'Lost World' boat

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Talks are to be held on the fate of a fishing boat wrecked on the island archipelago of St Kilda.

The Spinningdale ran aground on the main island, Hirta, during a storm in February. The 14 crew were rescued.

A spokeswoman for the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), which manages the islands, said the organisation hoped to meet soon with the boat's owners.

St Kilda, which is featuring in a BBC One special - Britain's Lost World, is a protected area.

NTS said the recovery operation of the vessel would be done with the interests of the islands' wildlife and landscape at its heart.

'Geological importance'

The spokeswoman said: "Emptying the vessel has been completed and what came off has been put in storage on the island.

"Where we are at now, is that we are hoping to meet soon with the owners of the boat about what happens next."

She added: "We would need to be extremely careful that the breeding season was not disturbed and the environment was not damaged. The rocks the vessel sits on are of geological importance."

The trust were concerned that rats may have escaped from the vessel when it ran aground.

They said there was a potential risk to St Kilda's ground nesting seabirds.

A specialist team found there was no evidence that this was the case.