Scammers targeting businesses across the Highlands stole hundreds of thousands of pounds from a charity supporting people with terminal illnesses.

Earlier this week, police said almost £2.5m was defrauded from a range of businesses in the area by "very convincing" callers posing as bank staff - a con known as vishing.

It has now emerged the Highland Hospice was conned out of a "mid-six figure" sum of money by the scammers.

The hospice, in Inverness, offers palliative care and support services for people who have life-limiting illnesses and their families.

Hospice chairman Forbes Duthie said staff had been "shocked and devastated" by the "despicable" crime.

He said: "The stolen funds had been raised through the generosity and significant efforts of hospice fundraisers and supporters to help us care for our patients and support their families, which makes the crime especially abhorrent."

Police have managed to recover some of the stolen money and work is ongoing to retrieve "as much of the funds as possible".

The hospice said the theft would not have any immediate impact on operations.

Chief executive Kenny Steele said: "There is resilience built into the hospice financial systems to cope with these types of risk to ensure that our top priority of patient and family care and well-being is protected."

Detective inspector Iain McPhail from Police Scotland's financial crime investigation unit branded the crime "utterly disgraceful".

He said the unit was working with banks and businesses to recover as much of the stolen money as possible.

"I would again urge people to be on their guard against unsolicited calls from someone claiming to be from their bank," he added.