Flight delayed by baby hedgehog on Stornoway Airport runway

Image caption, Hedgehogs and other wildlife are frequent visitors to the rural Stornoway Airport

A passenger flight was delayed when a baby hedgehog crossed the runway as the pilot was preparing for take-off.

The Loganair flight was taxiing at Stornoway Airport, on Lewis, when the creature made a surprise appearance.

The captain brought the Saab 340 aircraft to a halt at about 17:20 on Thursday and waited patiently for two minutes while the hoglet crossed.

The 30 passengers were informed of the reason for the delay in their journey to Inverness in the Highlands.

Image source, Stephen Branley/Geograph

Image caption, Pilots at Stornoway Airport are asked to scan the runway for wildlife

Neil Hughes, Loganair's director of flight operations, said: "The captain safely avoided a prickly situation for the little hedgehog, following procedure until the animal was off the tarmac.

"Our network extends into some of Scotland's most remote communities so there are quite a few opportunities to see animals in the wild - and we're always conscious to disturb them as little as possible."

Pilots operating from Stornoway regularly scan the runway for wildlife, given the rural location of the airport in the Outer Hebrides.