Royal Mail is aiming to use up to 200 drones over the next three years, as it introduces postal drone routes.

The 50 new routes will help provide faster and more reliable services to remote communities, as reported by Sky.

The Hebrides, the Isles of Scilly, the Orkney Islands and the Shetlands will be the first to benefit from the new service. Currently, deliveries to these areas are carried out using ferries and regular aircraft, but can be disrupted by bad weather.

Royal Mail said the drones will also help cut carbon emissions.

It has been running four trials over the last 18 months to areas including the Isle of Mull and the Isles of Scilly. Test flights for the new service have covered a near 100-mile round trip and carried loads of up to 100kg.

When the drones land, the post is distributed to the local delivery person to drop off as usual.

The 50 proposed routes are subject to Civil Aviation Authority approval.

Royal Mail said it was hoping to eventually increase to 500 drones and cover the whole of the country.

Its aim is to make deliveries on time and whatever the weather, regardless of a customer's location and to protect the environment. Royal Mail already has the lowest CO2 emissions per parcel of any delivery service.