Scottish Ambulance Service carrying out daily inspections of aircraft after emergency alert.
Safety checks are being carried out on Scotland's air ambulance helicopters after fears were raised about a fault which could cause them to crash.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an emergency alert after a crack was found in the rotor hub of a Eurocopter EC135 aircraft.
Daily checks are now being carried out on the two helicopters run by the Scottish Ambulance Service, based in Inverness and Glasgow.
The alert was issued last month when a crack was discovered during a routine inspection. The EASA says the cause of the fault is not yet known.
If left and not repaired, the crack could cause rotor failure and "loss of the helicopter", according to the safety alert.
The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) uses two EC135 helicopters to respond to emergency calls from remote, rural or island areas of Scotland, transporting sick or injured patients for medical care.
A SAS spokesman said: "We were notified at once of this issue by the aircraft's operator, Bond Air Services.
"The part was replaced immediately and Bond are carrying out detailed daily inspections of the aircraft in line with the EASA directive.
"The safety of both patients and air crew is absolutely paramount and we would not allow them to fly if there was the least doubt about airworthiness.
"Bond is working closely with Eurocopter on this issue and is assured that the aircraft remain safe and serviceable."
The ambulance service also operates two King Air 200c planes, based in Aberdeen and Glasgow, which mainly respond to medical requests to transfer patients between hospitals.
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