Restricted ferry capacity means Arran islanders’ “lives and livelihoods are being disproportionately impacted more than ever”, Scottish Labour MSP Katy Clark has claimed.

In a letter to the Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop, the West Scotland MSP raised that a number of constituents have been struggling to get to and from the mainland for basic everyday tasks due to limited capacity on the MV Isle of Arran as well as difficulties navigating the online booking system.

The MV Isle of Arran is currently the primary vessel on the Ardrossan-Brodick route, with the temporarily leased MV Alfred providing additional cover via Troon.

However, both vessels have a capacity of less than half that of the MV Caledonian Isles, which remains out of action for major repairs.

She also highlighted in the letter that it was “difficult to fully ascertain the loss of traffic to and from the island” as a result of these issues but was aware that business owners are “closing early, down on footfall and losing revenues at a dramatic rate”.

Ms Clark said: “Arran’s ferry troubles and the resulting impact on islanders and their livelihoods are well known. But I’m deeply concerned the situation is only worsening as a result of capacity challenges.

“Ardrossan-Brodick has long been the busiest route on the entire network, yet many people are now choosing to travel elsewhere during the summer season.

"The Scottish Government says the island is “open for business”, but this isn’t credible if visitors aren’t even able to book a ferry slot.

“For islanders themselves, these issues are compounded. Their lives and livelihoods are being disproportionately impacted more than ever.

“I believe the Cabinet Secretary needs to engage with CalMac and the Isle of Arran Ferry Committee with a view to assessing the situation and identifying urgent solutions.”

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: "Delivering six new major vessels to serve Scotland’s ferry network by 2026 is a priority. We have invested more than £2 billion in our ferry services since 2007 and we have outlined plans to invest around £700 million in a five year plan to improve ferry infrastructure.

“The Transport Secretary has previously spoken with CalMac to stress that everything must be done to address capacity and provide assurances for the Arran community.

"Direct engagement between CalMac, Transport Scotland and the Arran community continues to keep stakeholders up to date on progress.”