Sandbanks Ferry out of action for a month

Sandbanks Ferry operates between Poole and Studland and saves users a 25-mile car journey

A chain ferry linking Swanage and Poole in Dorset is to be out of service for a month because of a broken drive shaft.

The Sandbanks Ferry, which crosses the mouth of Poole Harbour, was withdrawn from service on Friday.

Operators said it would have to be towed to Southampton to be repaired.

The service, which avoids a 25-mile (40km) detour between Swanage and Bournemouth, is likely to remain suspended until at least 12 August.

The ferry was suspended for nearly three months over winter, initially because of annual maintenance and then a hydraulic issue, which meant it only ran two days between 29 October last year and 28 January.

The ferry, called Bramble Bush Bay, takes four minutes to make the crossing from Sandbanks to Shell Bay.

In December last year, operator Fairacres Group was blocked by the government from increasing fares, which it said would help fund a new vessel.