A GROUP of Scottish Conservative MSPs are demanding a Scottish Government summit over a ferries crisis which has been linked to food rationing in shops on Scottish islands and people sleeping in their cars.

Party leader Douglas Ross, shadow transport minister Graham Simpson and MSPs representing island communities have written to transport minister Jenny Gilruth demanding urgent action on behalf of "neglected" constituents.

CalMac's managing director Robbie Drummond said staff were “deeply sorry” about disruption to the ferry network in recent days.

The MV Hebrides returned on Sunday morning after it required repairs to its firefighting system meaning two key Outer Hebrides routes were out of action for three days, while several other key Western Isles routes suffered major disruption last week, with the MV Isle of Mull being redeployed from Mull to cover the shortfall.

Twenty-two-year-old MV Hebrides had been taken out of service for a third time in a matter of weeks causing a shutdown of the routes between Uig on Skye, Lochmaddy on North Uist and Tarbert on Harris.

Islanders complained of food shortages, restaurants struggling to get supplies, visitors sleeping in cars and village halls and visitors re-routed on lengthy detours.

The Herald on Sunday revealed that islanders were concerned it led to rationing of basic items such as bread and milk.

Over the weekend some drivers had to embark on a 125 mile detour after issues with another ferry surfaced on Saturday on one of the busiest days of the year as Arran hosted the Brodick Highland Games.

The Herald:

The 29-year-old MV Caledonian Isles, had a problem with a main engine water cooler before creel ropes got caught in its propellers.

It comes against a backdrop of two vital ferries needed to help begin to replace an ageing fleet running at least five years late with costs escalating to at least two-and-a-half times the original budget.

The issues at nationalised Inverclyde shipyard Ferguson Marine mean that Glen Sannox will not see service till between March and May 2023 at the earliest, while Hull 802 is not due to set sail till between October and December 2023.

The letter from the nine Scottish Conservative MSPs to Ms Gilruth states: “Disruptions to ferry services are nothing new to islanders.

“However, we now have a service that is so unreliable that it cannot even be trusted to supply basic essentials that people need to live in the Hebrides.

“This is unprecedented in modern times. I am sure that you will agree that this situation is unacceptable.

“As MSPs who represent communities that rely on these services, we are shocked that this issue is not being handled by the SNP Government with the urgency it deserves.

“We simply cannot stand by whilst islanders suffer from food shortages, people are forced to sleep in their cars and local businesses are severely impacted. Our constituents deserve to see action taken now to deliver a more reliable service.

“As Transport Minister, it is your responsibility to ensure that ferries run properly between the islands and the mainland.

“As there has been no positive response from the SNP Scottish Government to the calls for parliament to be recalled to address this matter, we therefore insist that you urgently convene a summit with all MSPs from the affected areas to determine the actions and timelines required for the SNP government to resume lifeline ferry services and prevent the situation getting this critical again in the future.”

Transport Scotland dismissed islanders' concerns that food shortages were exacerbated by the ferry disruption.

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “Whilst the disruption caused by the withdrawal of the MV Hebrides was regrettable, claims linking this to food shortages are wrong.

“CalMac operated a number of additional sailings to help transport essential supplies during the disruption. In situations like this, they prioritise food supplies and confirmed that nothing was left on the mainland. Any shortages may have be down to supermarket supply chain issues.

“The Transport Minister also convened resilience meetings with local stakeholders to ensure they were kept up to date on the situation.

“We continue to work with CalMac and CMAL on potential resilience options for the fleet. This includes seeking potential second hand tonnage to improve operational resilience on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry routes. The previous charters of MV Arrow and recent purchase of the MV Utne (now MV Loch Frisa) are evidence of this ongoing commitment to improve and support the existing fleet in this way.”