Christmas is coming but Hunterston contractors have been struggling to get an inn for the night, it was reported during a recent meeting.

A surprising lack of available accommodation for contractor staff at Hunterston has proved to be a problem for various companies, according to Fairlie Community Councillor John Riddell.

Speaking during their recent village meeting, Mr Riddell revealed that some days, local accommodation had been full, and asked if there was any solution to the problem.

The issue was raised following a discussion of the new interconnection station being built at Hunterston which is costing £1 billion to construct, with a power cable between Hunterston and the Wirral.

Fairlie Community Council secretary Rita Holmes stated that after the construction phase of the development, there appeared to be no job opportunities, and even the construction work had to be done by specialists from outwith the local area.

Mr Riddell revealed that visiting contractors had suffered ‘real problems’ trying to obtain bed space in the local area.

Conservative councillor Tom Marshall who said that while he was surprised at the news, it was good news if local accommodation was full from a business perspective, but pointed out that it depends on how much budget the companies were prepared to pay out for hotel rooms. He added: “There are a lot of bed and breakfasts.”