CalMac have issued a warning to customers that people should travel as soon as possible as disruption is likely due to worsening weather.

The advice comes amid strengthening winds off the west coast - and with a Met Office yellow alert already in place for Ayrshire, and the whole of Scotland, for most of THurdsay.

In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) at 1pm on Thursday, a spokesperson said: "Due to deterioration in the weather conditions, passengers who require to travel are advised to do so as soon as possible."

The latest alert comes after CalMac advised people planning to catch a ferry to visit friends or family for Christmas to consider travelling earlier than planned if possible, with strong winds on the west coast expected to affect many of the company's routes until Christmas Eve.

Finlay MacRae, head of operations at CalMac, said: “While we can’t control the impact from weather, we do have a committed team working hard to reduce the impact on our communities and customers wherever we can.

"Our crew will monitor the situation and respond to limited weather windows by operating untimetabled services whenever they can do so safely.“We are continually reviewing options to ensure the best service possible for customers and communities during this period, and we fully appreciate how difficult this can be, especially during the holiday period.

Mr MacRae said: “CalMac continues to work with local communities to ensure their priorities around the transportation of goods and services are understood and supported.

"Dedicated frontline staff are talking to our regular customers daily to make sure that, where possible, essential goods and services are being moved.”

You can monitor the latest information via the service status and information page at CalMac's website or by following @CalMac_Updates on Twitter/X.