A woman who was seriously injured when she was gored by a stag is slowly regaining consciousness and communicating with doctors and family.

Dr Kate Stone, 44, was injured by the animal near Fort William in the early hours of December 30. She was placed in an induced coma on Hogmanay following an operation at the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, to repair damage to her windpipe.

Doctors decided to take her off sedation last week following a successful second operation on her windpipe and Dr Stone, from Cambridge, has been moved out of intensive care.

A statement released by a colleague at Dr Stone's print firm Novalia said: "Over the past couple of days, Kate has slowly been regaining consciousness and becoming more active, communicating with doctors and her family.

"She has been taken out of the intensive care unit and moved to high dependency. All signs point to a steady recovery and doctors will continue to monitor her progress."