New figures show people in the Highlands were charged tens of millions to get parcels delivered to their homes
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Figures from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) show parcel delivery charges totalled £28 million for the Highlands and Islands last year.
That was 70 per cent of the Scottish total of just more than £40 million.
People in Inverness and Nairn shelled out £7.2 million this year alone in delivery surcharges.
And people in Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch forked out £6.2 million to get goods delivered to their homes.
Drew Hendry, who is hoping to be re-elected as MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey next month, and Moray MSP Richard Lochhead last year secured a commitment from the Advertising Standards Authority to crack down on firms which boast of UK-wide delivery, but penalise residents and businesses in rural Scotland with exorbitant delivery fees.
In 2016, Mr Hendry presented a bill to the House of Commons calling on the UK government to put a People’s Delivery Guarantee in place.
He said: “It is completely unfair that shoppers in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey are expected to fork out huge sums of money each year on these surcharges, especially when tempted in with the offer of free delivery.
“I have led the campaign on this issue and repeatedly raised this issue with UK ministers.
“However, they have refused to listen while delivery surcharges continue to hit the pockets of families all across Scotland.”
