The leader of the Western Isles Council has written to Boris Johnson to help fix the islands’ troubled ferry service.

Roddie Mackay has warned that failure to address connectivity issues could have “catastrophic” effects for islanders.

Mr Mackay said he was contacting Westminster because of Holyrood’s unwillingness to address “systemic service failure,” according to a report by the Press and Journal

Mr Mackay said a lack of action over the past five years has placed great strain on the islands – at a time where connectivity is needed more than ever.

In his letter to the prime minister, on the back of the Union Connectivity Review, Mr Mackay said the ferry network has experienced a period of “unrelenting chaos” in a time of “unprecedented stress and strain”.

Mr Mackay has said he has grown “wholly frustrated” with ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne and builder Caledonian Marine Assets Ltd (CMAL), adding that “all appear either incapable or unwilling to address the issue”.

He has invited Mr Johnson to visit the Outer Hebrides to see the impact of the strained ferry service.