One of Scotland's richest men, the Tory peer Lord Laidlaw, escaped injury when his helicopter crash-landed in US waters, it was reported.

Lord Laidlaw is understood to have been at the controls of the craft when it performed an emergency landing in Penobscot Bay, Maine.

The helicopter had taken off from Lord Laidlaw's 182ft yacht, the Lady Christine, before the incident near Little Deer Island on Saturday afternoon.

All four people on board were able to free themselves after the crash and wade ashore.

Lord Laidlaw, currently on leave from the House of Lords, has an estimated wealth of more than £700m.

He made his fortune after establishing conference organising company the Institute for International Research.

The businessman, who is based abroad, became a Tory peer in 2004 and has previously been criticised for not honouring an agreement to give up his status as a tax exile.

A US Coast Guard spokesman said: "He's the owner of the yacht and I heard reports that he was the pilot of the helicopter.

"They were all able to wade ashore as it landed in shallow water. Lord Laidlaw was very co-operative. The plan is for his boat to continue sailing down the US coastline for the next 10 days.

"For a helicopter crash - and they can never be a good thing - it worked out pretty well."

One person was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for neck pain, but the injury was not considered serious.

The helicopter was later removed by a commercial salvage company.

An investigation into the incident will be carried out.