A staffing crisis on the Isle of Skye means that some businesses are now having to offer a reduced service to customers, business leaders have warned.

The crisis comes as businesses prepare for the first summer in three years free of coronavirus restrictions.

Popular tourist attractions such as the Fairy Pools and the Old Man of Storr are predicted to bring in more tourists, than businesses on the island have the staff to cope with.

Simon Cousins, a spokesman for destination management group Skye Connect, which develops the tourism economy on the island believes that the sector will be hit particularly hard.

‘Really, really tough for businesses’

He told the Scotsman: “The irony is that, for those businesses that are busy, some are not able to offer the same level of service in the past.

“That is because there is a real staffing issue facing industry across Scotland, but we know the Skye tourism industry is particularly hard hit.

“We have got business who would normally offer seven nights’ service during prime season who are now offering four or five so they give existing staff enough time off.

“We have a situation where we have a housing crisis, a staffing crisis and a post-pandemic recovery. It’s just really, really tough for our businesses.”