Heads should roll over the floating bridge fiasco – that is the message from the town of East Cowes.
Members of East Cowes Town Council last week decided ‘enough is enough’ and is asking the Isle of Wight Council to hold someone accountable for the failings of the chain ferry.
The vessel has been out of action for the past 7 weeks after scheduled maintenance mid-July found a major fault with the hydraulics.
Over the weekend, the Isle of Wight Council released a statement saying the main equipment had been inspected but further analysis of the hydraulic ram and other fluid aspects was needed.
A spokesperson for the council apologised for ‘continued delays and disruption’ and said:
“Once the full reports are received from the engineers, we can plan to resolve the issues, establish the time it will take to complete the works and to resume the service.”
Isle of Wight Council ward representative for East Cowes, Cllr Karl Love, said it is totally unsatisfactory, unreliable and not fit for purpose, with the only credible option left to replace the vessel and sell this one on.
Cllr Margaret Webster said when the schools go back, about 100 students will be forced to use the foot passenger replacement launch, the Jenny Lee, with restricted places due to COVID-19 social distancing measures. She said:
“Quite frankly, they should be putting on a bus for the safety of those children.”
Mayor of East Cowes, Cllr Jane Rann, said the town is owed something and proposed the town council should write to the higher authority and ask for compensation for all those who have been disadvantaged. She said:
“The Isle of Wight Council should give all residents of East and West Cowes free travel now until the boat is back on because we are all paying the normal rate, but for what?
“This is not good enough, especially as they have not kept us to date at all and quite frankly we deserve more.”
Cllr Peter Lloyd said it was about time someone should be held accountable, to which the town council agreed. He said:
“Someone should own up to this and a head should roll.”
In documents released for upcoming meetings, it has been stated the Isle of Wight Council is taking pre-emptive steps towards legal action and are in talks with the designer and builder of the vessel to remedy all the issues caused.
Got an idea. Tow the thing up the river to Newport and then lift it out of the water and place it carefully in the Council car park. There it can be seen by all as they attempt to negotiate Coppins Bridge to remind them of the incompetence of our beloved council.
But its a functioning asset and enbiggens the island. It may not function as a ferry but it would make an excellent …………… hmmmmmmmmmmm Maybe somebody could take it over as a restaurant or cafe like that pretentious overpriced fish shed in along Bembridge. That would enbiggen East Cowes so much we could emblazen it upon our slave chains we erected in the town centre to recognise our subservience to posh cowes.
You are a p*** I don’t know why trolls like you are permitted on here
A bloody disgrace.
No worth it’s weight in scrap
Sick and tired of this bl**dy thing. Total disgrace. And yes, heads DO need to roll, too much damage done. Just scrap this piece of sh*t and replace it with a bridge, which should have been done in the first place.
ha ha
Tow to mid channel then sink for artificial reef.
Absolute joke from the start.
Watch how parents of the kids get a fine for being late to school when Jenny boats cant handle the numbers.
Could always drive round via new high speed junction at St Mary’s – about 3hrs to get Cowes Ent and back. Another 3 hrs in afternoon for RTN
Too wide too long and probably too deep, who specified the size ?
Ofc the council. By making it wider they had an extra lane for cars and more passengers. Just a way to extort more money out of people like they have been doing for the last however many years. This thing is a joke. Not functional at all. Don’t know how many times I’ve driven into east cowes seeing the “floating bridge out of service”. It’s about time something detrimental happened for the sake of the commuters.
I bet we will never see the engineers report, it will be so deeply hidden even a freedom of information request will never find it.
Just waiting for those responsible for this complete mess to promote themselves with a huge pay rise.
As to legal action …. when was the last time they won anything?
It is available. It is in the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet in the basement of the Council Annex on the seventh planet of Alpha Centauri.
Be done with it and build a proper bridge.
Its a bloody Joke. Same thing will become of the so called traffic flow improvement scheme at st marys. We will all be reminiscing about how good it used to work before the incompetent council messed around with it.
I have to say I do love our new mode of transportation. Me and my cats sister do enjoy the vistas from the ticket machine and so enjoy its motionless ambience. This figure of beauty and wonder surely must be the product of a genius. Non less than a genius could have envisaged this but its just a shame its not steam powered.
The old one is tied up next to the Gosport ferry. Why not have it back and use it.!!!!!!!
What are Jono Bacon & Ian Stephens saying?
Did anyone ask if we wanted a floating bridge, a fixed link tunnel or bridge accessible at any time is the minimum standard for our time.
Quite honestly, both heads and balls, should roll.