A record number of people were rescued by lifeboat crews last year with the Broughty Ferry station once again the busiest in Scotland.
Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) volunteers rescued 1,055 people in 2012, up from the previous high of 1,026 in 2006.
Overall, 15,450 hours were spent at sea by Scottish crews last year, either responding to emergencies or carrying out training exercises.
Last year was also notable for the large number of rescues which took place during darkness, the RNLI said.
Some 386 separate incidents were dealt with by crews operating at night.
A regional breakdown of the charity’s annual statistics reveals that the busiest station for the second year running was Broughty Ferry. It had 103 separate launches in which 37 people were rescued.
The charity’s regional operations manager for Scotland, Andy Clift, said: “The figures show that our volunteers dedicate a huge amount of their time to saving lives at sea.
“To know that they are on call 24/7, every day of the year, is reassuring for all of us who venture out to sea around the Scottish coast.”
For more on this story, including an in-depth look at the work of our local stations, see Wednesday’s Courier or try our new digital edition.