After shutting in the middle of December for annual maintenance the Hayling Ferry has now been grounded for a further month. The storms over Christmas delayed the completion of work and are the main cause for no current service.
Many Hayling residents including schoolchildren and work commuters use the ferry to bypass longer car journeys into Portsmouth. With the ferry out of action passengers are now having to resort to alternative modes of transport on and off the island and the situation has caused frustration and anger.
Tina Edwards manager of the family run business said theyre trying to find a replacement boat while the other one undergoes repairs. She explained theres an amount of welding work that needs to be carried out but the boatyard and ferry itself flooded after the recent heavy downpours. This has been the main cause of the delays in getting the service back up and running.
Mrs Edwards added: This is why we are getting a second boat so we dont have delays again. Going forward we have seen we cant base everything on a timescale; the weather is not our friend. We need a second boat.
Hopes are high for a second ferry to be in place towards the end of this week.
