The Cowes to East Cowes Floating Bridge has once again been taken out of service following yet another technical fault this morning (Saturday).
The Floating Bridge is currently stuck on the Cowes side of the River Medina meaning motorists are having to face the now-usual 10-mile diversion via Newport.
The Isle of Wight Council has confirmed that the service is out of action to allow engineers to inspect a prow hinge.
“The Cowes floating bridge is currently out of service to allow engineers to inspect a prow hinge.
“A foot passenger launch service is now in operation..
“We apologise for any inconvenience.”
Island Echo has been told by a member of the public that ‘the prow hinge broke and came crashing down’.
A passenger launch is due to be underway shortly.
Only a week ago the Floating Bridge suffered a hydraulic oil leak which took the vessel out of service only days after returning after undergoing maintenance for 14 weeks.
It was initially planned that the troubled vessel would be out of the water for less than 2 weeks back in July to enable maintenance work to take place. However, significant issues were discovered and Floating Bridge No.6 was out of action for over 3 months.
UPDATE @ 17:27 – The Cowes floating bridge will remain out of service until at least Monday, the Council has announced.
It’s been confirmed that a hydraulic ram on the vessel developed a fault earlier this morning which meant the prow could not be lifted. This is despite the hydraulic system having a complete overhaul earlier this year.
The council says it is working hard with its contractors to ensure the issue is resolved as quickly as possible so the service can resume at the earliest opportunity.
In the meantime the crossing remains open with a regular launch service for foot passengers and cyclists.
Put all the Councillors on board and Seely and set it adrift.
Sadly it wouldn’t get far enough out to wet their ankle socks without some new, mishap halting it’s progress.
Best just we ALL vote this council out next given chance, what with this and the masse building ruination of our Island, they need to go.
Unsure about Seely, but likely nothing to write home about.
Oh I am surprised. Repair it, stick all the council on it, cut the chains, tow it out into the Channel and let the Royal Navy have some fun with their big guns.
‘10 mile diversion’ , oh the horror.
Well I am shocked and surprised! even the council must have been expecting this, and just when will this pathetic situation be resolved? Never under the current Council.
Vote them all OUT next time. ONLY way they will be ‘bothered’.
How the hell is this piece of sherbet still floating. My old Austin allegro lasted longer this and that was a proper rust bucket skip
If this was an animal it would be best to put it out of it’s misery. Enough suffering, enough pain, enough embarrassment for the island. Oh wait I’m talking about the council…
Who cares???? SHUTDOWN is the KEY word and sack the incompetent idiots that agreed to this idiotic expensive project…
I am not surprised or shocked one little bit.
What does surprise and shock me is this council.
If this was an aircraft, it would never have got off the drawing board.
Someone had better sort this expensive white elephant out now.
Is the MCA aware of this occasionally floating hazard?
I’ve got half a roll of Gorilla Tape if it’s any good to them.
Who the council? Could tape them up.
Just build a new one same design as the old one simples
Take it to middle of the river and sink it, lay some thick steel planks over to it from each shore, there’s your permanent link. No worries. Five quid to cross over on it, there’s the regular revenue. Won’t need hardly any maintenance. Oh yeah,and FFS keep the council away from it!
Never mind let’s spend some more money on it and more money to the passenger launch after all it’s only OUR MONEY being used not the councils.
I can see why nobody took my 1000-1 offered a couple of weeks ago that it would last a month!! Still no statement from Burness corlett Three Quays who provided the technical specifications.
The tech specification can say what it wants. The important matter is that the reader(s) is competant enough to understand the specification in relation to the intended use. In this case, therefore, were the person / people in the IWC qualifed and competant enough to ensure that the bridge, as specified, would be suitable for use in the intended location.
Yes but what’s frightening is the same idiots are in charge of our planning on the Island !!!
Much of that is perhaps down to corruption, doubt the broken bridge farce is though.
Best just to vote this useless council OUT next time, the ONLY thing will ‘bother’ them is lack of a massive pay packet and expenses and huge pension pot, and perhaps sink bungs.
Regretably, Bryan, you are spot on there. So the question has to be how do we get rid of these people? Surely there has got to be an answer as we MUST rid ourselves of these expensive time and money wasters. Is it a case of going to the Local Government Ombudsman and asking for action? Personally I believe that the entire council should be suspended and an administration appointed to run things and, at the same time, carryout a full and independant enquiry into the way things have been operated over the years. It certainly could not be any worse than what we now have to put up with.
Yet again, this farce will mean another huge poll tax increase. Why the hesitance by council to resolve this astonishing issue. Is someone waiting for retirement and the generous pension, to kick in first.
Please tow it out and let navy use it as target practice
Hmmmm. If this was a privately run business I’m sure they would have had the administrators in by now as they would have gone bust!!!
Sadly it is not and public money is being used to bail out the farce that should have been making a revenue.
We as islanders only have a handful.of options, either put up with the situation , not my first choice. At the next round of council elections vote for different candidates.All lobby our elected MP. Enough people on the island voted for him to get to Westminster, now let’s see him do something for all of the constituents on the Island and not just a few of the more popular ones…
Or when our council tax bills are up for renewal we all refuse to pay…
So how do we organise a vote of no confidence in the council?
You don’t.
But you can refer the matter to the local government ombudsman.
The lack of transparency over the ongoing costs alone would justify them taking a very close look at the whole sorry business.
There are no words!! Lol
As I’ve said before,the only way to solve this problem is to think it was never here, just use the road , if nobody uses then they’ll get rid of it , its that simple
i do i have,nt used this or the last one since they charged for cycling stick it up your arse in spite ive used my car instead pricks..
No shit Sherlock
When will the Isle of Wight Council realise it’s a waste of money costing The island taxpayers millions scrap it and give us the old one back
Someone should pull its chain and flush it away for the turd it is
Pathetic. An embarrassment to all. This administration should be ashamed at the criminal waste of our money – but of course as a vanity project if flatters their egos and that’s all that matters folks. Public enquiry time.
Spend the money on the old boat,scrap this one, and plan a Medina Bridge.
Hear we go again more of tax payers money being spent on a pile of rubbish
Im amazed it was working as long as it was
How sad that you will all vote for this incompetent Tory council at the next election. Everyone knows they are useless . Vote for anyone but these idiots
It looks nice and a modern concept !!!!
Just a shame it doesn’t work for any longer than 2 weeks at a time though Terry. Also, the council have spent over 1.7 million if council tax money on a vessel that has been basically useless from day 1. Even the load ramp is too steep and cars where getting stuck when trying to board/disembark …..
FFSake, how much more MONEY and time is going to be wasted on an obvious lost cause. It doesn’t work due to bad design, face this fact Isle of Wight council. Perhaps the council have a good case to get some of the money back from the designers and engineers who created and built this piece of junk????? It is obviously not fit for purpose.
I’m just glad they don’t run a bus service
Back on Monday, I see the council has cottoned on now, they haven’t said which Monday
The “suspended” sign needs renewing, it’s support stand is going rusty.
The vehicle is a lemon, time to ditch it
Why don’t we put the council on the floating bridge where they will be marooned for ever.
Time to cut the local taxpayers loss £s.
Wimp this White Elephant, along with Councillor Ian Ward.
Really! I didn’t see that coming
Neither did the people waiting for it…!!