New breakdowns hit Highland's Corran Ferry service

A Highlands car ferry service is out of action again after a series of breakdowns.

MV Maid of Glencoul was unavailable on the Corran Ferry crossing over the weekend due to a steering problem.

The boat was repaired and returned to the route on Monday, before the fault reoccurred on Tuesday morning.

Highland Council, which runs the service, said a passenger-only crossing was available until the Maid of Glencoul was repaired.

The five-minute journey across the Corran Narrows is the busiest single-vessel ferry route in Scotland and carries more than 270,000 cars each year.

The service's main vessel, MV Corran, has been out of action for almost a year.

It left for maintenance work in dry dock last October, but its return has been hit by a series of delays after a fault was found with its propulsion.

Highland Council has said it hopes the ferry will be back later this month.

Between 15 April and start of June there was a limited passenger service after the relief ferry MV Maid of Glencoul broke down.

People living in Fort William, Ardgour, Sunart, Ardnamurchan, Moidart, Morar, Morvern and the Isle of Mull are among those who regularly use it.

Alternative routes to the five-minute crossing can involve journeys of up to 86 miles (138km), depending on the destination.