Cowes Floating Bridge: Almost £90,000 spent on spare parts

Almost £90,000 has been spent on spare parts for the Isle of Wight's troubled chain ferry.

A government review, which branded it as "potentially poorly designed", recommended the council maintain a stock of essential spare parts.

The authority said the components would minimise downtime of the ferry in Cowes which has been plagued with issues and technical faults.

The council has also said legal talks over the vessel could soon conclude.

Since it started service in May 2017, the £3.2m chain ferry has had numerous problems, including broken chains, excessive noise and cars scraping their bumpers.

'Not yet used'

A launch for foot passengers and cyclists runs while the vessel is not operating. However, vehicles face a 12-mile detour via Newport.

The Cabinet Office report, published in January, found that on occasion repairs had been hindered when parts took a long time to arrive, meaning the service was out for longer.

Following the recommendation, Isle of Wight Council spent £87,000 purchasing the spare parts, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A key list of spares has been developed by a "competent, independent third-party engineer" and while the parts have been purchased they have not had to be used yet, the council said.

It comes as legal talks over Floating Bridge 6 are potentially drawing to a close.

Isle of Wight Council entered mediation with the builders and designers in March.

Cabinet member for transport Tony Jordan told a a council meeting last week the local authority was very close to agreeing a resolution in the dispute.

The authority has not ruled out ordering a replacement vessel.