The former fishermen’s quay appeared to be crumbling away over the weekend, resulting in concerns about its stability.
It is believed that the old quay, which pre-dates the Largs Pier which was built in 1834, goes back hundreds of years.
Sarah Goldie of the Largs Historical Society said: “It is the movement of the ferries which causes the quay to become unstable, and the boulders come away. You will find though that a few days later, the stones are all back in perfect place. I presume this is something that the council must do.
“There were previous issues with the quay when the flood prevention scheme was being put in a number of years ago. The Historical Society advised that the old quay was an important part of maritime history and needed to be preserved, and that was when it did receive some repairs.
“There is no point in cementing it tightly as that would be damaging. It is the churning of the water as the ferry goes in and out which causes it to be dislodged.
“It harks back to the days when Largs used to be a fishing village - we needed jetties like in Millport so that wee boats could tie up at high tide and land their catch, and take people on. It was probably used before the steamers arrived on the scene, and it was important for fishermen trying to make a living. Fishing and farming were both important aspects in the community at that point in time. It would appear to be the only one of its kind to have survived in Largs, but there must have been a few of them in days gone by.
“There is an old painting of Largs seafront which shows this is how local fishermen had access to the water.” 
A spokesman for Cal Mac said: “ The old fish quay is owned and maintained by North Ayrshire Council. We have no responsibility over the structure and I am led to believe it is NAC who carry out repairs but couldn’t say when they were done last.”
However further doubt was cast on the ownership of the old quay when North Ayrshire Council responded to a ‘News’ enquiry that they don’t actually own the quay in question, and stated that it was their belief that Cal Mac owned the historical jetty.