Island vehicle ferries return to normal service

Vehicle ferry sailings between Southampton and the Isle of Wight have returned to normal after an issue with a bridge ramp.

Red Funnel ferries were unable to run because the linkspan - the ramp at East Cowes used to drive vehicles on and off the vessels - had broken down.

The firm, which halted crossings due to the issue on Sunday night, apologised.

Its fast catamaran has been running as normal between Southampton and Cowes.

Red Funnel said departures from Southampton resumed normal service from 13:00 and from East Cowes at 14:30 BST.

The company said it was continuing to run additional Red Jet sailings between Southampton and West Cowes to support foot passengers unable to travel on the vehicle ferry.

It added amendment and cancellation fees would be waived for customers booked on the vehicle ferries who wanted to change their day of travel or cancel tickets.

The ferries are capable of carrying more than 200 cars and up to 892 passengers, and it normally takes an hour to sail the cross-Solent route.

Red Funnel operations director Leanna Lakes said: “We would like to sincerely thank our customers for their patience and understanding during this time, whilst the repairs were underway.

"As well as our dedicated customer support teams for assisting everyone throughout the day.”

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