A fisherman has been rescued after severing his thumb in an incident on a boat off the north-west coast of Shetland.

The man, understood to be in his 30s, was airlifted to safety by coastguard helicopter at around 8pm on Tuesday.

He was taken to Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick for medical treatment.

It is believed the tip of the fisherman's thumb was caught in something and then severed.

He was on board the Alison Kay fishing vessel at the time of the incident.

A spokeswoman for the coastguard said: "Shetland coastguard was called out to a medical evacuation on a vessel off the north-west coast of Shetland on Tuesday, reaching it at around 8pm."