Published: Wednesday, 24th June, 2009 3:56pm

"WAVERLEY COULD COME TO HALT" - DELAY FEAR

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It could be a case of sink or swim for the Waverley due to the delay to the new Largs Pier which could bring the paddle steamer to a tragic halt.

Last week, the 'News" revealed that following the discovery of Victorian sheet piling, the Largs harbour, one of the most profitable stops in the Waverley run, will not be ready until the last week in July.

However, Waverley say they were not told there was a threat to the regular sailings, scheduled to start this weekend.

The £6m project to re-build the historic pier is not now due for completion until mid-August after the contractor Geroge Leslie Ltd, said they uncovered an unforeseen problem.

Cunninghame North MSP Kenny Gibson has spoken to both CMAL (the asset company which owns the pier) and Waverley Excursions in a bid to resolve the situation. He believes that the Waverley are seeking compensation as they could be set to lose 30% of their takings as a result of the delay.

This week, commercial director for Waverley, Kathleen O"Neill said: 'If Largs Pier is not made available – this compounds the huge financial loss suffered by the charity in 2008 and there is a real concern that Waverley will cease to serve the communities of the West Coast of Scotland and the whole of the UK.'

FULL STORY IN THIS WEEK'S LARGS AND MILLPORT NEWS.