Council / Sickness absence to affect Bressay ferry service this week
SHETLAND Islands Council is continuing to struggle to provide a full inter-island ferry service.
Following a week of disruptions on Yell Sound, the service to Bressay is set to be affected by cancellations this week.
Due to staff sickness the Bressay ferry will stop operating at 8pm tonight (Tuesday).
There will also be no service across Bressay Sound during the day Wednesday to Sunday.
The council announced this morning that a normal timetable on Bressay Sound will operate from 7.30am to 11am (10.45am on Sunday) and again from 5pm to 10pm Wednesday (27 July) to Sunday (31 July).
The bus service 42 which operates on a dial-a-ride basis from the Bressay ferry terminal on Wednesdays and Fridays at 1.08pm will not operate on 27 and 29 July.
Ferries manager Andrew Inkster said that emergency cover would be maintained throughout this period.
“We are continuing to see problems in our ferries due to staff sickness, and we fully appreciate how disruptive this will be to the travelling public,” he said.
“We’re having difficulty locating appropriately skilled cover at a time when Covid continues to have an impact on staffing levels across the service, and when colleagues are taking advantage of the opportunity to have some much-needed leave.
“We expect the service to return to normal on Monday 1 August. We’d ask residents and visitors for their patience in the meantime.”
Become a supporter of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.
Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.
Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has over 600 supporters who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.
Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -
- Bring you the headlines as they happen;
- Stay editorially independent;
- Give a voice to the community;
- Grow site traffic further;
- Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.
Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.
Already a supporter? Sign in to hide this message.
