A British island became known as the 'island of death' after a secret anthrax experiment and remained under quarantine for 48 years

During the Second World War, a small, uninhabited island off Scotland's north-west coast became the site of one of Britain's most secret military experiments.

In 1942, Gruinard Island was deliberately contaminated with anthrax spores as part of a classified biological warfare programme designed to test whether the deadly bacterium could be used against enemy livestock.

The experiments proved devastating, not only for the animals used in the tests but for the island itself.

Anthrax spores persisted in the soil for decades, making the island too dangerous to visit.

According to BBC Culture, Gruinard became known locally as the "island of death", remaining under official quarantine for 48 years before the UK government finally declared it safe in 1990.