David Ross and Moira Kerr A SCOTTISH island faces being effectively cut off this week after being left without a car ferry service.

David Ross and Moira Kerr

A SCOTTISH island faces being effectively cut off this week after being left without a car ferry service.

Residents on Jura fear for tourism and safety after its normal car link was forced to withdraw due to a mechanical fault. The island's distillery has been forced to halt production without its ferry lifeline.

It is the latest chapter in a story of mishaps to the vital service which links Jura and its 210 islanders to the neighbouring island of Islay.

The ferry, which can carry eight cars, is called on if a fire engine is needed on Jura, or if an ambulance has to take a patient off the island.

Tourists use it to take their cars over for holidays whether in the hotel, bed and breakfast or self-catering accommodation.

The service is not the responsibility of Caledonian MacBrayne but of Argyll and Bute Council, which contracts ASP Ship Management to operate the ferry Eilean Dhiura. However, when it broke down 10 days ago it left a passenger-only service, provided by a local fishing boat.

Then a replacement vehicle ferry, the privately-owned Margaret Sinclair from Mull, took over last week, but yesterday it had to return to Mull. So far the council has not been able to find a replacement.

Island resident Gwen Boardman said: "If we have to rely on the fishing boat for a whole week I dread to think of how difficult life is going to be. It is certainly not suitable for the elderly, infirm or the very young, and the logistics of bringing on to the island the daily necessities of life will be extremely difficult.

"Anyone coming back after medical treatment or operations won't be able to get home. Every business on the island will be adversely affected. Unless a replacement boat can be found and quickly it is going to be a nightmare situation."

Steve Walton, manager of the Isle of Jura Hotel, said: "We are having to ring round everybody who has booked to tell them what is happening.

"Some guests were coming with bicycles others by the fast rib passenger/seasonal only from Tayvallich."

Isle of Jura Distillery assistant manager Willie Cochrane said yesterday that without a vehicle ferry to move waste products and spirit off the island, it was impossible to continue production.

He said: "It's disgraceful. I have got 18 men here and I need to find them a job, so I have got the boys painting.

"When the ferry goes off we can't produce whisky because we need raw materials on the island and we need to get the draff - the by-product - off the island every two days."

A council spokeswoman: "It is obviously extremely disappointing for all concerned that this situation has arisen, and we understand the concerns of the local community. We would like to assure them that we continue to do all we can to find a satisfactory solution."