Isle of Wight floating bridge out of action for Cowes Week

Crossings between East Cowes and Cowes have been halted since 16 July

A key ferry service will be out of action during the Cowes Week sailing festival because of a continuing software fault.

The Floating Bridge, which links Cowes with East Cowes, broke down on 16 July.

Isle of Wight Council said repairs would take three weeks, beyond the festival which starts on Saturday.

Foot passengers and cyclists will be able to board a replacement boat to cross the River Medina, but motorists face a 12-mile detour via Newport.

The £3.2m chain ferry has been plagued with issues since it started service in 2017.

The council previously considered replacing it due to problems including breakdowns, broken chains, excessive noise and cars scraping their bumpers.

In a statement, it said: "Following the unexpected breakdown of the Floating Bridge's technical software and programming system, which controls numerous aspects of the vessel's operational system including its safety systems, contractors have been engaged to resolve the issue.

"Unfortunately, this process is anticipated to take up to three weeks and therefore, the Floating Bridge will be out of service for Cowes Week 2023."

It said the replacement boat could cause delays for passengers crossing the river at peak times.