An 18-year-old woman has died in hospital after catching the flu virus.

Bethany Walker, from Applecross in Wester Ross, had been suffering from the virus at home before it developed into pneumonia.

She was airlifted to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness where she died last Friday.

Her mother Heather Teale paid tribute to her "beautiful girl", describing her as "the best daughter I could have ever wished for".

Eight of the 53 people treated in intensive care units in Scotland in the past fortnight have died, although officials stressed they may have had underlying health issues and the mortality rate was relatively low.

Hospitals in England have also been seeing very high rates of patients with flu, with a sharp rise in cases seen by GPs in the past week - up 78% on the week before.

In Wales, a large rise in flu cases has prompted advice to stay away from some hospitals.