Locals say Western Isles ferry disruption 'leaving shelves empty'

Islanders say ferry disruption to the Western Isles is having a serious knock-on effect, with concerns growing over shortages of critical supplies.

CalMac sailings have suffered repeated cancellations in recent days, with further technical issues and challenging weather, and local businesses reporting a huge impact on tourism and the wider local economy.

It also means supplies are not getting in from the mainland, leaving supermarket shelves bare and a lack of fresh food and basics like milk.

CalMac has apologised to passengers and says it’s doing everything possible to resume a full timetable.

But for island communities, the knock-on effect of any ferry disruption is felt very quickly and calls are growing for longer-term solutions to strengthen resilience of the network.