The Cowes Floating Bridge service has been suspended just days after returning from a 14-week suspension.
Crew members have this morning (Saturday) discovered what Island Echo is being told is a hydraulic oil leak on the north west prow.
An engineer has been called to inspect the issue and it’s understood repair work is to be undertaken to a weld, adding to the £7.7million bill that Floating Bridge No.6 has already racked up.
The East Cowes to Cowes service, which takes foot passengers and vehicles across the River Medina, is likely to be suspended for several hours. The website www.iwfloatingbridge.co.uk says the service is ‘running to timetable’.
The chain ferry only came back into action on 20th October.
Council officials recently paid a visit to the former Floating Bridge which is moored up in Gosport, as reported by Island Echo yesterday.
UPDATE @ 11:27 – The Isle of Wight Council has confirmed the suspension of service and says a foot passenger launch is in operation.
A spokesperson has said:
“The floating bridge is currently out of service due to an oil leak. Engineers are on site and the foot passenger launch is in operation.
“We apologise for any inconvenience”.
UPDATE @ 12:25 – The floating bridge is back in service.
Just build a bridge already.
You cannot make this sh*t up.
11 days in service and another breakdown.
How many times does this have to happen, and how much of OUR money has to be wasted on this disgusting vile vanity project? Time for a public enquiry. Incompetence at best, fraud at worst.
Ensure as well as moaning you ALL vote this entire, incompetent, greedy, self serving, and some corrupt councillors out next given chance.
And replace them with more of the same, or does the left’s shi..t not smell?..
I think Dave Stewart and gang at the IOW Council seriously need to get off their over paid high horses and admit they are all wrong. What an absolute waste of money, I agree with Echo reader, just build a bridge. It’s not that difficult just look at the one out Yarmouth way.
Name and Shame the council individuals responsible
We know who!
Most of them, the ones over in Southampton waters looking at the old reliable one & not even social distancing on the boat (they can’t even get that right!
Like a load of Muppets, that’s insulting the Muppets!
£7.7 Million,could have completely refurbished the old one 4 times over. What a total council COCK UP. And a waste of Public resources.
It is time for those responsible to commit Hari Kiri. It’s the only honourable way out.
Has anyone actually had an inquiry into the public sector employees behind all of this ? The bureaucrats (not the elected councillors who come and go) who issue the contracts, agree the specifications and take delivery of the finished product? Lots of people scream at the elected councillors, who indeed have a part to play in this fiasco, but nobody mentions the faceless people behind the scenes who are paid good money and pensions to manage delivery for island taxpayers
The trouble is that those bureaucrats are almost impossible to get at, as they never go beyond their remit and always obey the rules. If one is found to blame be assured that it will be someone very junior who ‘exceeded his instructions’.
Sorry, but they have been mentioned on a number of occasions. The problem is trying to locate the bomb proof shelter they hide in and getting them to understand that they should be gone, long ago. But no such luck.
How can we, the public move to have our councillors and the people responsible removed from their positions? And even made to pay for this mess up? Does anyone know if this is even possible?
Vote the entire council out at the next election, which due to CV will be heaven knows when
At least it’s consistent in its failure and cost, a bit like the council really.
No printable comment except it is about time an administrator should be appointed right now to take over the b****y useless council.
Least the old RUSTY one would still work. The new 7.7 million one is broken AGAIN. And yet more money being spent again on repairs and a passenger launch. Wake up and put a bridge in its place how often is the bridge in Yarmouth out of action???? Not very often and I bet that didn’t cost 7.7 million
Rather than spending our money on this piece of junk metal how about spending it on the old reliable floating bridge at least that 1 worked And didn’t breakdown so offen
The Dutch have been crossing narrow little waterways like this for years, without vast bridges.
Please navy use this heap of crap as target practice please
I’ve got a 20-year old van it has no oil leak! how come something designed to last 25 years has developed an oil leak in just 3yrs sorry take off the time out of service 2 years ???¿?
Should have bought that pile of rusting junk after all.
And they say its cheaper than restoring rusty I’m pretty sure rusty could be repaired for less than £7 million.
I’m surprised it latest this long ! !
How long before the next breakdown?
and then the next, and the next and the next.
This is going to happened repeatedly.
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
scrap the turrd now.. give it up.. so its cost already 7 million it cost 3.5 to build what a turd scrap it you tossersss
the turd and boris…what can you say……
Who cares! Just shut it down!!!.
There some bets out there need to be paid up lol
Why isn’t Bob Seely jumping up and down on these idiots?! Any decent MP would be publicly calling for their heads. Or has he?
Should be suspended, over Culver the let go.
This is getting embarassing, scap it & then bridge the gap.
Lasted longer than I thought it would this time.
Glad council does not run an airport, I know they have trouble running a bath!
The only thing people could do is boycott the thing completely when it is in service.The council got greedy and saw this as a revenue raiser instead of a service hence the charges levied on foot passengers and the sheer size of this monstrosity.They will not listen reason when it comes to wasting our money on “improvements” no one wants or has asked for.
Boycott the Bridge!!
Some comedian could write a script about this and turn it into a film and with the revenue in rights we could build a bridge or buy a decent ferry for the poor people of Cowes and East Cowes
This farce echo’s of the program “Yes Minister” and “Yes Prime Minster”.
Classis BBC series I loved every episode watching how they talk things through in a long winded conversation and actually get very little ever done
What a joke
send it back to the manufacturers saying not fit for purpose and demand money back and bring the old one back with a complete refit that wont cost this 7.7 million…what a farce
I Call for a public inquiry into this complete farce. Why is no one being held accountable.
You cant polish a turd scrap it
Yes but you can roll it in glitter, which is what the council are repeatedly trying to do.