Guernsey sea travel a priority for chief minister

Cancellations by Condor over the festive period have led to passenger complaints

Guernsey's chief minister says one of the government's top priorities for 2022 will be securing the island's sea links with ferry firm Condor.

Deputy Peter Ferbrache spoke after cancellations over the festive period led to complaints from passengers coming to and from Guernsey.

He said he would like any changes "in partnership with Jersey" and to happen "in the very early part of 2022".

Condor said it was "disappointed" at cancellations but safety came first.

Karen Laine, who travels between France and Guernsey for work, said: "The past couple of trips have been fairly arduous.

"On 21st December I was informed with less than 24 hours notice my boat was cancelled and I'd be put on a boat on the 23rd."

A Condor spokesperson said from 18 December to 4 January, "just under a fifth of our sailings were cancelled due to a sustained period of poor weather".

Extra sailings had been added to "minimise the inconvenience and impact for our travellers over this challenging period".

The company said: 'We are obviously always disappointed when sailings are cancelled for any reason and travel for passengers disrupted.

"However, their safety and that of the crew is paramount and whether the cancellations are caused by bad weather or technical issues, we must always think safety first."

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