Anger as Tiree residents still cut off from internet access three weeks after Storm Amy

An island community has slammed the “deafening silence” from the Scottish Government as residents enter a third week without internet.

Locals in Tiree, the most westerly island in the Inner Hebrides, say ministers’ response to ongoing connectivity issues has been “woeful”.

Rhoda Meek from the Tiree Community Development Trust said that daily briefings had been sent to the cabinet secretary for rural affairs on the issue, but that emails had not been acknowledged.

Problems with access began when Storm Amy battered Scotland earlier this month, leaving tens of thousands of homes in the west without power for days.

Train lines were disrupted, flights and ferries cancelled and roads blocked as winds in excess of 100 mph were recorded.

During Storm Amy, the subsea fibre cable connecting the Tiree to the mainland was damaged.

A BT resilience team has since successfully connected the island’s care home, primary school, and high school to Elon Musk’s Starlink system.

More powerful 4G routers have also been delivered to particularly vulnerable residents by BT.

However, residents say the vast majority of islanders remain offline, relying instead on limited community broadband links, patchy 4G or public Wi-Fi hotspots.

They claim they are being forced to sit in their cars to access basic online services, such as banking, healthcare, and communicating with family.

Neil MacPhail, chair of Tiree Community Development Trust, said: “We know that Tiree is seen as a welcoming and hospitable place to ‘get away from it all’ by many in the Scottish Government.

“It is extremely disappointing to realise that, once back in Edinburgh, they don’t consider Tiree’s troubles worth acknowledging.”

A Scottish Government Spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government is in constant contact with BT, Openreach, Argyll and Bute Council and other key partners to ensure the fibre connection to Tiree is restored, and that reliable connectivity is delivered through satellite technology and 4G in the meantime.

“While the operational teams focused on restoring full connectivity are best-placed to provide real-time operational updates to local communities, Scottish Ministers continue to monitor the situation closely.

“The First Minister has also written to the partners involved in restoring connectivity, urging the situation to be resolved as rapidly as possible.”