Staff at ferry operator CalMac have been subjected to “unacceptable abuse and name-calling” after an island service was cancelled, the firm has said.

Ferries between the mainland and Lochboisdale on South Uist were cancelled this week after the MV Lord of the Isles was moved to elsewhere in the network to cover a breakdown on the Arran route.

The move sparked anger in the Hebrides, which faced almost a month last year without a ferry.

CalMac has urged the public to treat its staff with respect after a number of incidents were logged.

The MV Lord of the Isles The MV Lord of the Isles (Image: NQ) Fiona Galbraith, the area operations manager for the Hebrides and Skye, said: “We know how much the community relies on ferry services, and understand the frustration and anger at the Lochboisdale service being cancelled for a week."

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She added: “Our teams, all of whom call the local area home, share this disappointment and we all hope normal service can be restored as quickly as possible.

“While most people understand that technical problems and service disruption is absolutely not the fault of port staff and crew, we have had multiple instances of these frontline teams being subjected to unacceptable abuse and name-calling.

“Nobody should have to deal with that when they are trying to do their job, and I would urge everyone to treat our hard-working people with respect.

“Thank you very much for your patience and understanding.”