An anti-litter campaign group in Shetland has called on fast food giant McDonald's to stop selling balloons with children's meals after finding four on the islands' beaches in recent months.

The balloons are thought to have been blown around 100 miles from the mainland, after being handed out to children with their so-called Happy Meals. The chain's nearest restaurant is in Inverness.

The balloons have been discovered four times between Janaury and March.

Dunna Chuck Bruck, which runs Da Voar Redd Up spring clean initiative every year, has raised the issue with the corporation - also pointing out that its nearest chain is over 160 kilometres from Shetland on the Scottish mainland.

Shetland Amenity Trust environmental awareness officer Jane Outram discovered the balloons and posted two of them back to McDonald's.

But the company claims there are "expectations for play items such as balloons" to be made available for children and claimed the balloons are biodegradable.

Ms Outream said: "People are becoming increasingly aware of the hazards of balloons and balloon ribbons to wildlife - fragments of balloon are mistaken for food and ingested and animals can become entangled in the ribbons."

A McDonald's spokeswoman added: "We work closely with the franchisees and operators of our coastal stores to ensure they only hand out balloons on sticks, to prevent the immediate impact they can have on the local environment if discarded."