Cowes Floating Bridge: Chain ferry set for 12-day halt for inspection

Floating Bridge No 6 will pause its East Cowes to Cowes crossings from 20 March

A chain ferry on the Isle of Wight will halt crossings for 12 days for its annual inspection by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Floating Bridge No 6, which crosses from East Cowes to Cowes, will also have some planned work carried out during the pause.

The chain ferry will be out of service from Monday until 31 March.

The problem-plagued vessel crashed into a sea wall while returning from its safety inspection last year.

The £3.2m vessel has had numerous technical faults and service interruptions since it entered service in 2017

A launch for foot passengers and cyclists will run while it is out of service, but drivers face a 12-mile detour via Newport.

When it returns, the prices for cars will go up - drivers with a saver card will pay £2.50 for a single journey up from £1.80 and those without a saver card will see fares go up from £2.40 to £3.

Isle of Wight Council said the increase, which was "owing to severe pressures on the council's budget", was the first since the vessel entered service in 2017.

Prices for foot passengers and cyclists remain the same - a single crossing is 50p with a saver card and £1 without.

The Cowes ferry was last out of service in October.

In September it broke down after it developed an electrical fault, less than a week after undergoing maintenance work.