Businesses ask for Sandbanks ferry works to be delayed

A shop owner is calling for the ferry operator to move services after Christmas

A business owner has said two more months without a chain ferry means "no one is coming" during Christmas.

The Sandbanks ferry was badly damaged last month and announced on 9 December the service is now expected to resume at the end of February.

Jeff Clarke, a shop owner in Swanage, has asked the operator to move the maintenance to after Christmas.

The company apologised and said the repairs are subject to time consuming approvals.

The Sandbanks ferry was damaged while being towed to Falmouth, Cornwall, for planned maintenance from its base in Poole.

The operator, Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Company said repairs were progressing but replacement ramps being manufactured in Poland would not be ready until early February.

'Sick and tired'

Mr Clarke told the BBC "no one is coming" and businesses are "all very sick and tired" of the extension.

He said firms are asking the ferry company to carry out service and maintenance during January and February because they "won't notice any real impact from it".

"Right now, Christmas is a time for us just to make our few bit of money to see us through the winter months."

Caroline Finch, chair of Swanage Chamber of Trade agreed that changing the servicing until after Christmas would help businesses "immensely".

"It makes an impact on everybody that has worked so hard to put on a lovely show for Christmas," she added.

Time consuming approvals

"We are going as fast as we are able so as to minimise time out of service," Jason du Toit, the Sandbanks Ferry Company's Managing Director said.

He added that the repairs are "subject to various time consuming approvals" for safety reasons.

"I share all our customers frustration at the extended absence of the service and can once again only apologise."