Barra islanders shun local shop for 200-mile deliveries from Glasgow RESIDENTS of Barra, the southernmost inhabited island in the Outer Hebrides, have spent an estimated £10,000 a week on a mass grocery delivery from an Asda store in the Govan area of Glasgow. The shopping travelled 200 miles over the course of 9 hours, by land and sea, from the Southside of Glasgow to Castlebay quay, Barra. The goods are ordered online and then transported by vans operated by Barratlantic, a local haulage firm. Already making regular trips between the island and Scotland's central belt, the company was approached by residents incensed by prices in their local supermarket, a branch of the Co-operative. A representative of the haulage company, Christina MacNeil said: "Somebody asked us if they ordered stuff from Asda would we collect it. We did one dummy run and it worked. The islanders have reacted very positively. Since the operation began in early July, Asda has fulfilled 350 individual orders from households on the small island. Citing high prices and lack of choice in the island's only supermarket, residents have been unhappy with the local Co-op since it opened in 2007. The Western Isles Tenants and Residents Association (WITRA) and local MP Angus MacNeil have levelled accusations of price variation between the Castlebay store and others in the region. In response to this shopping solution, a Co-op spokesperson said: "We have served Barra for many years... In common with other major retailers, our prices differ across our store network, as operating costs vary, smaller stores are proportionally more costly to run than larger ones, but we do not apportion costs on a geographic basis, so customers in more remote areas, such as Barra, do not have to pay any premium for additional costs." On island and mainland alike, the reaction has been positive. Derek Adrain, home shopping manager at the Govan Asda stated: "We're absolutely delighted to hear that the residents of Barra are enjoying the great value, quality and service offered by Asda. Families should be able to benefit from low prices on their shopping wherever they live.