It is an issue that has long divided Scottish communities the length and breadth of Lewis and Harris. But the debate over whether to have Sunday ferries breach the last major stronghold of Sabbatarianism in the Outer Hebrides looks set to be settled within months.

It emerged last night that equality laws could force ferry operators to start Sunday sailings to and from Stornoway, in Lewis. The state-owned ferry company Caledonian MacBrayne said it had received legal advice that the existing practice of not providing seven-day sailings was likely to fall foul of the Equality Act 2006.

The sailings could begin as early as October, at the start of the winter timetable.

Churchgoers last night promised to fight the move. Rev Iain D Campbell, chairman of the Lewis branch of the Lord's Day Observance Society, said: It is very difficult to see who is being discriminated against at a human rights level just because this particular shop is closed on a Sunday. We are dependent upon the public company which serves the island and we want to support that company. But we also want to defend a way of life which has been well served by CalMac in the past, observing the Sabbath as a day of rest.

Supporters say a seven-day service would bring social and economic benefits to the island and that Sunday travel should be a matter of individual choice. They argue that, as CalMac provides similar services elsewhere in the isles, seven-day crossings for Lewis are overdue.

As the MV Isle of Lewis nudged its way out of Stornoway harbour silent protestors held placards bearing the fourth commandment, Remember the Sabbath Day, To Keep it Holy and hellfire and brimstone ministers warned of the dangers of a secular society.

The cause of all the controversy on the God-fearing Isle of Lewis was the first Sunday ferry to the Scottish mainland.

Church leaders said the island had experienced a seismic shift in its culture and traditions with the launch of the controversial service. The staunchly Presbyterian island is one of the last areas of the country where the Sabbath is widely regarded as a day of rest.

Church leaders have resisted Sunday sailings for two decades but lost the battle when the ferry carrying 80 vehicles and nearly 400 passengers left Stornoway bound for Ullapool.

The Free Church of Scotland - the Wee Frees - claim the move will destroy a way of life, while supporters say it will drag Lewis and neighbouring Harris - which have had Sunday flights for seven years - into the 21st century.

There was no direct action yesterday, but around 20 silent protestors marked the occasion. They were outnumbered by 200 islanders who gathered to cheer the vessel out of port.

Prof Donald Macleod, principal of the Free Church college in Edinburgh, accused the firm of "bullying" the islanders. He warned: It's going to have a domino effect on church attendance and will change the community from a Christian civilisation to a secular, humanist society.

Councillors on the Western Isles could be forced to abandon a centuries-old religious tradition of keeping sports and community centres closed on a Sunday because it breaches new equality legislation, the Guardian has learned.

The islands of Lewis, Harris and North Uist are the last places in the UK where publicly owned and lottery-funded facilities such as leisure centres, golf courses, school grounds and community halls are closed because of sabbatarianism, which bans work and play on Sundays on religious grounds.

The tradition, promoted vigorously by the staunchly protestant Free Church and the Church of Scotland, has caused deep divisions on the islands and bitter rows between pro-opening campaigners and senior figures in the church and council.

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