Tiree residents said they had been met with a “deafening silence” from the Scottish Government after raising concerns about the island’s ongoing internet issues, which have now entered a third week.
Storm Amy brought strong winds and heavy rain to parts of Scotland last month, including in Tiree where a subsea cable was damaged, leaving the island’s residents without internet.
While the island’s primary school, high school and care home have now been connected to Starlink satelites, restoring their internet, the vast majority of islanders remain offline.
Telecoms giant BT has returned to the island this week to deliver 4G routers for particularly vulnerable residents.
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However, most islanders are having to rely on limited community broadband links, patchy 4G or public Wi-Fi hotspots.
Residents have also reported having to sit in their cars “during heavy rain” to access basic online services such as banking, healthcare and communication with family.
At a community meeting held on Tuesday night, the directors of Tiree Community Development Trust said that despite repeated attempts to engage Scottish Government officials, they had received no response.
Rhoda Meek, National columnist and head of communications at the trust, said that briefings had been sent almost daily, including right up to the Rural Affairs Secretary, will relevant civil servants included in all correspondence.
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However, she said that, as of Wednesday morning, “there has not been so much as an acknowledgement that the emails have been received”.
Neil MacPhail, chair of Tiree Community Development Trust, commented: “We know that Tiree is seen as a welcoming and hospitable place to ‘get away from it all’ by many in the Scottish Government.
“It is extremely disappointing to realise that, once back in Edinburgh, they don’t consider Tiree’s troubles worth acknowledging.”
The Scottish Government has been approached for comment.