Capacity at Ullapool Harbour in the Highlands is to be increased as a result of work being undertaken on the port.

Improvements to Ullapool Harbour's linkspan will mean the closure of the port to vehicular traffic from April 20 to May 18.

There will also be a temporary service introduced from Stornoway to Uig to allow traffic to flow between Lewis and the mainland.

The revised sailing schedule for the duration of the upgrade work will be:

• Up to two daily return sailings from Stornoway to Uig for passengers and vehicles.

• One daily return sailing from Stornoway to Uig for freight.

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• Two daily return sailings from Stornoway to Ullapool for foot passengers only.

• An enhanced service (peak season level) on the Uig to Tarbert route

"The introduction of a double linkspan at Ullapool will significantly increase the port's resilience by opening it up to a much greater range of vessels than it can currently deal with. It will also improve reliability over the long term by shortening loading and unloading times," said Operations Director at CalMac, Drew Collier.

"Transport Scotland has decided to equalise the fares between Stornoway and Uig and Tarbert and Uig to help manage traffic volumes on the route more effectively. The fare from Stornoway to Ullapool is higher than Tarbert-Uig. We are keen to avoid unnecessary congestion at Tarbert during this short period as some travellers may have opted for the cheaper route if prices had been kept at the existing Stornoway Ullapool level."

The improvement work is being funded by the Ullapool Harbour Trust and Transport Scotland.

(IT/MH)