Excerpt from news.stv.tv
Scotland’s islanders face weeks of disruption and delays as a beleaguered ferry service struggles to cope.
Virtually every Scottish island has been cut off in recent weeks as state-owned operator CalMac warns of further disruption to the ageing ferry fleet.
The delays, alongside planned maintenance of vessels, have seen ferries dominate the political agenda, becoming a major election issue as voters prepare to head to the polls in the Holyrood elections next month.
On the Isle of Arran, one of the west coast’s best‑used ferry routes, the impact is being sharply felt.