'Gravesend ferry closure has hurt our business'

Tracie Saville said customers complain about having to drive through the Dartford Tunnel instead.

The closure of a ferry service between Kent and Essex six months ago is continuing to harm trade, business owners have said.

The service, which carried about 100,000 passengers a year between Gravesend and Tilbury, ended in March after the operator chose not to renew its contract.

Thurrock Council, in Essex, and Kent County Council say they have been working to find a solution to reinstate the service.

Tracie Saville, who works in Gravesend's Toxic Angel boutique, said: “We’ve definitely seen a drop in customers. We miss them."

Kishan Thandi has lived in Gravesend all his life and said he used the ferry as a child in the early1990s.

He said Gravesend "has been on a decline" for the last 20 years and this would "contribute to that in the long run”.

Business owner James Langley said footfall has dropped since the ferry stopped running

James Langley, who runs a model shops near the ferry port in Gravesend, said: “We’ve lost a lot of customers that used to come across from Essex.

"They still order online but they don’t come and visit anymore because they now have to go all the way through Dartford.

“It’s [now] very quiet of an afternoon. We don’t get the school children, they were getting the ferry over to go to school.”

Thurrock Council said it wanted to see the service resume

John Kent, leader of Thurrock Council, said: “The loss of the ferry has had a significant impact on many residents - people who relied on the ferry, not only for leisure, but for getting to and from work and to get to school.

“We recognise the important role that passenger transport on the river is likely to play and we want to do all we can to make sure the ferry can be part of that future.”

A Kent County Council spokesperson said: “We have worked hard to try to secure an extension to the contract while we find a long-term future for the crossing, but this has not been possible.

“We will continue to work to secure a sustainable long-term solution for the ferry.”