Drones will be used to deliver packages on remote Scottish islands as part of nine freight projects which have been awarded £1.2 million in government funding.

The first winners of the Freight Innovation Fund (FIF), backed by £7 million overall, have been announced today and could help create cleaner ways of delivering freight around the country.

This could lead to reduced emissions and better delivery services in hard-to-reach parts of the UK.

The winners include Skyports Deliveries, which will use drones to improve island-to-island connectivity in the Orkney Islands and Electric Assisted Vehicles, which is developing a four-wheel, electrically assisted lightweight delivery vehicle to help reduce road emissions.

The fund is one part of the government’s Future of Freight plan launched last year, setting a strategy to work closely with industry to deliver a “world-class freight system”, which supports economic growth and builds on the measures already taken to tackle the global heavy goods vehicle driver shortage.

Roads Minister Richard Holden said: “Whether it’s drones for deliveries on remote islands or zero emission buggies – we want to invest in future technology that could transform how we move goods around the country while reducing emissions and traffic and creating skilled jobs.”