HighSpeedFerries announces Weymouth to Cherbourg ferry plans

The service from Weymouth could run to Cherbourg two or three times a day

A new passenger ferry service from Weymouth to Cherbourg in France could be in operation by the autumn.

HighSpeedFerries says it is hoping to use the terminal left by Condor Ferries, which is moving its services to Poole.

The new ferry company said the crossing, which would be its first, would take under two hours.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council said it was in commercial negotiations with the potential operator.

The authority, which is to discuss the future of the ferry terminal at a full council meeting on Thursday, said the new service could provide "a positive impact for the local economy, boosting the council's harbour income".

If it is agreed, the service could start later this year, with a full timetable of two or three crossings a day in place by 2016.

HighSpeedFerries said the new route would create 90 jobs in Weymouth and Portland.

The ferry company had looked at starting a service to France from Portland in 2010.