A hospice that had £570,000 stolen by scammers has recovered some of its missing funds.

Fraudsters took around £2.5m from companies across the Highlands in July.

Highland Hospice, which looks after sick and terminally ill people in Inverness, has managed to recover about £170,000.

Chief executive Kenny Steele said more money is expected to be retrieved.

"We are hopeful that all the funds can be recovered," he said.

"Bank of Scotland has said that it could take up to six weeks to identify where all the funds have gone and to take full recovery action.

"As we are approaching the end of this six-week period since the crime was committed we are working closely with the bank to secure the remaining funds."

The fraud - known as voice fishing or "vishing" - involved companies receiving calls from people claiming to work for their bank.

The fraudsters claimed their account had been compromised and convinced them to transfer money into a "safe account".

Police said the scammers used spoof details to make it look like they were calling from a genuine number.

Several businesses were targeted between July 19 and July 30.

Detective inspector Iain McPhail described the fraudsters as "very convincing".