Cowes Floating Bridge: 'Side thrusters' planned for troubled ferry

The £3.2m Cowes Floating Bridge replaced an older ferry in 2017

The Isle of Wight's troubled floating bridge could have "side thrusters" fitted to improve its performance, the council has revealed.

Isle of Wight Council said the modifications would be a "significant capital investment".

However it would save money by not having to use a push-boat which currently keeps the vessel on track during fast flowing tides.

An opposition councillor insisted the design was "fundamentally flawed".

The £3.2m ferry which crosses the River Medina has faced a catalogue of problems since entering service in May 2017. It has ran aground and suffered technical issues, such as broken chains and electrical faults.

The ferry has been out of action since a hydraulic fault was discovered during planned maintenance in July

It is currently out of action after a problem with the hydraulics was discovered during routine maintenance in July.

Speaking at a meeting of the Isle of Wight Council's corporate scrutiny committee, senior council officer Alex Minns said the main issue facing the vessel was "insufficient clearance over the chain", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. .

He said the most "feasible option" was to install side thrusters to keep it on course through fast-flowing spring tides, which would keep the boat at the right level, meaning the push-boat, which costs £97,000 a year, would no longer be needed.

Independent councillor Julie Jones-Evans questioned why more modifications were being made to a boat that was supposedly designed for the island.

She said: "It appears to me, and everyone I speak to on the street, [the vessel] is not designed for our river crossing. When are we going to finally realise the design is fundamentally flawed?"

Mr Minns said a report on the options for the ferry was due at the end of October which would "hopefully solve these problems once and for all".