Cargo ship towed to Guernsey after engine fault

The coastguard said the vessel is safely anchored off St Peter Port harbour

A large cargo ship had to be towed to Guernsey harbour after suffering an engine breakdown, according to the coastguard.

Guernsey Coastguard said the 64m (210ft) general cargo vessel MV Bonita requested assistance at 05:20 BST on Friday, five miles north of the island.

The fault could not be fixed at sea and a French emergency towing vessel was sent from Cherbourg to assist.

A tug later dispatched from the south coast of England was used to tow the ship to St Peter Port harbour, arriving at 03:15 on Saturday.

The coastguard said the MV Bonita had been on its way from The Netherlands to St Sampson's, Guernsey, with a cargo of sand when it broke down.

It said there were no injuries and no pollution was caused.