Cowes Floating Bridge: Chain ferry pulled from service

Crossings on Floating Bridge No 6 between East Cowes to Cowes have been paused

Crossings on the Isle of Wight's chain ferry remain paused for a third day.

The Cowes Floating Bridge was suspended from service on Saturday evening due to a generator fault, Isle of Wight Council said.

The authority said an engineer was on board the vessel investigating the issue.

The £3.2m ferry, which runs between Cowes and East Cowes, has been plagued with breakdowns and problems since it started service in 2017.

In a statement, the council said: "Regretfully the Floating Bridge service was suspended at the weekend owing to a problem with the generators cutting out. We apologise for the inconvenience.

"A replacement launch service continues to operate across the Medina River for foot passengers and cyclists. We will issue updates when available."

Motorists face a 12-mile detour via Newport while the ferry is out of operation.

The vessel was last out of service for 12 days in March for its safety inspection.

The council previously said it was considering a permanent replacement after reaching a financial settlement with the ferry's designers and builders.