Scotland's isles 'would benefit' from Faroes-style tunnels

A leading Scottish engineer says undersea road tunnels could help make Scotland's island communities more sustainable.

Andy Sloan was involved in a proposal 13 years ago for a 350m tunnel to Bressay in Shetland, which was never built.

He said Scotland could follow an example set by the Faroe Islands, where a network of tunnels were opened last year.

Mr Sloan said: "In the Faroes the social impact is quite dramatic - tunnels have improved connectivity and are giving communities opportunities of repopulation and getting to hospitals and amenities."

The executive director at engineering firm Cowi UK, which is involved in tunnelling work for London's new Lower Thames Crossing, said tunnel-building was "not complicated".

In Scotland, it would require similar rock blasting to that used in the Faroes and Scandinavia.

He told BBC Radio Scotland: "We often get bogged down from an engineering, geology and technology perspective, but there is no question these tunnels are feasible to construct."

Mr Sloan said tunnels would not be needed to replace ferries but would be part of the "mix" of islands transport.

Brendan O'Hara, SNP MP for Argyll and Bute, is supporting the call for tunnel building in the west of Scotland.

He said it could be tried out on a short route first, and hoped a tunnel might be even be considered on the mainland as a solution for problems on the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful, which has been frequently affected by landslides.

Mr O'Hara said: "The Faroese have got this idea that the Faroes is one city and no-one should be disadvantaged by where they live.

"They have to keep their rural villages populated and they are prepared to invest in keeping people where they want to stay."

Supporters hope to encourage a debate on the issue of building tunnels for Scotland's islands.

Mr Sloan said: "Can we build these tunnels? Yes. The sustainability of rural communities is at the heart of this."

Declining populations in some of Scotland's islands - particularly the Western Isles - has been an issue for a number of years.

Earlier this year, the Scottish government began consultation on a potential £5m-backed scheme offering families £50,000 to move to island communities.

The Faroe Islands are a series of 18 islets in the North Atlantic located halfway between Iceland and Norway.

The new underwater tunnels connect the islands of Streymoy and Eysturoy in a network some 6.8 miles (11km) long.

They have cut the travel time between the capital Torshavn and the village of Runavik from an hour and 14 minutes to just 16 minutes.