Scottish Labour MSP Katy Clark has demanded an urgent investigation by the Scottish Government after 60 people were left stranded on the Isle of Arran due to ferry cancellations.

In a letter to transport minister Kevin Stewart, she highlighted the “succession of reckless decisions and mishaps” in procuring the MV Alfred on Clyde ferry routes, with some passengers reportedly turned away from boarding the relief vessel due to staffing and capacity issues on Saturday evening.

The £1-million-a-month leasing of MV Alfred has been mired in controversy: the vessel was investigated for crashing into an island last year, and its charter was delayed due to delays in the MV Pentalina, its replacement on the Orkney route, obtaining a safety certificate. Earlier this month, the MV Pentalina itself also ran aground in Orkney.

Ms Clark, who represents West Scotland, also revealed via parliamentary questions last month that the Scottish Government had signed off the charter without meeting operator Pentland Ferries.

She said: “It’s appalling but unsurprising that this relief vessel, the lease of which was blindly signed off by ministers without due diligence, has failed to meet passenger demand at the first hurdle.

“I pay tribute to the islanders who stepped up and provided food and shelter to those who were stranded on the island over the weekend, but it is unacceptable that they were even placed in such a situation to do so.

“The Scottish Government appears to have completely lost control in regards to its ferry procurement strategy.

"Islanders are crying out for a sensible and sustainable ferry replacement plan to add resilience to the fleet, not panic-leasing from operators with poor health and safety records.

“An emergency plan is needed as a point of urgency, with island communities and transport unions fully consulted, and we need a proper investigation so what occurred on Saturday isn’t repeated.”

The Scottish Government has been contact for comment.