Highlands and Islands MSP Donald Cameron has said that Campbeltown deserves better than to lose its ferry service until 2021.

Mr Cameron, who received confirmation from CalMac’s chief executive that the service to the Kintyre town from Ardrossan will not resume until next year, reiterated his view that local people are getting a raw deal from the state-contracted ferry operator.

He said: “People in Campbeltown, and the Kintyre peninsula, deserve better than this.

“We all know that the SNP’s mismanagement of our ferry service has caused problems but it is simply unfair that the knock-on effects have left local people here carrying the can.

“CalMac is under contract by the Scottish Government for a very good reason and that is to ensure that strategically important transport links, like the one to Campbeltown, are kept open.

“It is very difficult not to conclude that SNP ministers have failed in their duty of care to provide a resilient service.”