New Isle of Wight floating bridge to be built in Wales

A £3.2m floating bridge has been commissioned to connect Cowes and East Cowes, Isle of Wight Council has said.

The replacement vessel is being built in Wales and is due to be in operation at the end of this year or the start of 2017.

Leader of the council, Jonathan Bacon, said the new floating bridge would be more efficient than the current chain ferry.

He said: "Capacity will be improved to carry more vehicles.

"Having a new vessel will also help to improve reliability."

The council said a funding agreement for the new floating bridge is being finalised with the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership.

It is expected to be in service for the next 25 years and is part of the Solent Gateways project.

A new ticketing system, using self-service machines and pre-paid cards, is also due to start later in the spring.

The floating bridge is being built by Mainstay Marine Solutions Ltd.