Highland councillors will defer any decision on whether to end a twinning link between a Caithness town and the second largest community Klaksvik in the Faroe Islands, over the annual whale cull.

For the past 20 years Wick has been twinned with Klaksvík which has a population of around 5,000 and is known as the capital of the local fishing industry.

The former Caithness civic leader Gail Ross had called for an end to the link because of the Grindadráp,

This is the name for the traditional Faroese pilot whale hunts, which have been the feature of island life since the days of the Vikings.

They are widely condemned as cruel by marine conservation groups who widely circulate photographs showing the reality of the slaughter.

But hunts are non-commercial and are organised on a community level. They involve pilot whales closest to land being driven ashore by boats on to a beach where they are killed and their meat distributed free locally.

Caithness Area Committee members meeting in Wick, agreed that before any final decision is taken, they should respond positively to an offer of talks with the Mayor of Klaksvik, Jógvan Skorheim.

He believes the link could be strengthened between the two communities and that their representatives should meet.

In the meantime the twinning arrangement will stay in place.