Portsmouth to Jersey Sunday ferry set to be axed

Jersey's government chose DFDS to run the island's ferries in December

Ferry travellers will soon be unable to get a ferry from Portsmouth to Jersey on Sundays after Danish operator DFDS took over.

Jersey's government chose DFDS to run the island's ferries in December, with the first sailing on 28 March.

The firm has contacted people who have bookings to offer alternative sailings and said the changes came after talks with tourism leaders and freight companies.

Customers on social media have called it "shockingly bad" and "disappointing", with DFDS responding that it did not "anticipate making regular amendments to our schedules, but our priority is to implement a service that is both reliable and robust" and "best serves the requirements of the wider community".

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DFDS said on social media it had "made minor amendments to its schedules following discussions with freight and tourism sectors in Jersey, standardising the departure times to and from Portsmouth for life-line freight and improving connections with St. Malo".

"As a result, there have been adjustments to our sailing times and, where possible, these have been kept to within an hour of the original departure time.

"We are in the process of contacting all affected customers offering them the opportunity to move their booking to another, date free of charge, or offering them a full refund should they choose to cancel.

"We thank you for your understanding."