Final preparations are being made to put a salvage team on board an oil rig carrying 280 tonnes of diesel that ran aground on the Western Isles.
The drilling rig Transocean Winner was blown ashore in severe weather conditions on the western side of the Isle of Lewis early on Monday.
READ MORE: Oil rig at risk of grounding off the Isle of Lewis after it broke free from tug
The semi-submersible rig detached from its tug during towing and severe weather prevented the line being reconnected.
No-one was on board when it grounded at Dalmore beach near Carloway, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said.
People are being urged to stay away from the beach and a temporary 300-metre exclusion zone has been set up.
READ MORE: Public warned off Western Isles beach after oil rig runs aground amid high winds
The agency said it expects a small salvage team to be put on board the rig on Tuesday afternoon as part of the operation to remove it.
Hugh Shaw, the Secretary of State's Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention, is on Lewis overseeing the operation.
He said: "This initial recce will be checking a number of things including fuel tanks.
'Weather permitting, it's then intended to put a second larger group of salvors on tomorrow to carry out a more detailed inspection."
Three vessels, including the emergency towing vessel (ETV) Herakles, remain at the scene.
The beach is said to be a popular visitor area but coastguard teams and Police Scotland are now enforcing restricted access to the site.
Environmental groups have raised concerns about the incident but the coastguard said the pollution risk was believed to be low.
READ MORE: Oil rig at risk of grounding off the Isle of Lewis after it broke free from tug
UK Coastguard commander Mark Rodaway said: 'We understand that this incident is of interest to people living in the area but we're really asking them to stay away to ensure easy access for emergency services and salvors.
''The last thing we want is for people to be injured or worse trying to get a closer look on remote cliff paths.''
Local politicians have united in a call for an ETV to be reintroduced for the Western Isles.
SNP MP Angus MacNeil campaigned on the issue after the previous emergency tow was removed.
He said: ''This could have been a very different outcome and it is another example of why we need to have an emergency towing vessel on the west coast of Scotland.
"The UK Government must return the ETV to Stornoway - a tug is an insurance policy for an unusual but possible event.
''I am also calling on the UK Government to carry out an immediate investigation as to why this oil rig was being towed in severe winds west of the Hebrides and I'm seeking further details regarding the response time - which the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has said took 18 hours.''
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant said the one remaining tug covering the north and west is based in Orkney and can take 12 hours to reach the southern-most part of the Western Isles.
She added: "We cannot simply rely on good fortune to protect staff, passengers and our environment from any future disasters."
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