Ferry firm pledges to improve island deliveries
BBCThe boss of a ferry company has promised to improve freight services to island residents after complaints about deliveries being unreliable and going missing.
Residents of the Isles of Scilly off-islands - St Martin's, Bryher, Tresco and St Agnes - were recently asked for their views on the service.
In a letter to them, chief executive of Isles of Scilly Steamship Group, Stuart Reid, said: "We accept that aspects of the service currently being delivered fall below both your expectations and our own."
He said the company would set up a "dedicated project team focused specifically on improving operational performance and service standards for the off-islands".
'Recurring concerns'
Residents and businesses were invited to attend a number of consultation events across the four islands.
Issues raised at the events included "recurring concerns" about communication, freight handling, claims processes and consistency of service.
The main island in Scilly, St Mary's, was not included.
The new project team plans to meet regularly, with off-island freight service improvements to become a recurring agenda item in board meetings.
Reid's letter said the company is committing to "identifying the root causes of damaged and missing deliveries and implementing improvements to deliver a more reliable and customer-focused off-island freight service".
Staff from the company will visit the off-islands to get a better understanding of the issues the community faces and there will be "immediate investment" in extra insulated storage units for "transportation of temperature-sensitive goods", the firm added.
The letter also said the company will review the claims process for damaged and missing freight, "with a focus on improving communication, accountability and response times".
The ISSC said it understood the importance of publishing schedules whenever possible for the Lyonesse Lady, the vessel that delivers freight between islands.
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