A Keighley businessman has bought control of Scotland's renowned Harris Tweed industry.

Entrepreneur Brian Haggas bought KM Group, which produces 95 per cent of Harris Tweed and was on the market for four years.

Mr Haggas, 75, who owns textile firm the John Haggas Group, also bought Parkend, a tweed mill on the outskirts of Stornoway, on Lewis, in the Western Isles.

The industry employs about 100 mill workers and 150 home-based weavers, and makes the world's only commercially produced hand-woven tweed.

Business has been in decline for a number of years and the KM Group recently shut one of its two mills, with all work being transferred to Stornoway. Mr Haggas, who plans to visit Stornoway this week, said: "We know exactly what we want to do. I have written a little piece I am going to send to the weavers saying we have bought the business with the aim of trying to revitalise the name and build up sales of Harris Tweed.

"I'm not saying it's going to happen but that's our aim."

Derick Murray, managing director of the KM Group, said he was sorry to be selling the business but added that he believed he was leaving it in safe hands.