The Cowes Floating Bridge will now not be operating after 12:30 on Christmas Day until first thing on Boxing Day, the Isle of Wight Council has announced.
The floating bridge had originally been scheduled to be out of service from 12:30 until 16:00 on Christmas Day due to tidal conditions, resuming again for the late afternoon and evening.
However, due to staff sickness, it has now been confirmed that the floating bridge will cease operating at lunchtime on Christmas Day and will not resume until 07:00 on Boxing Day. There will be no passenger launch in operation either.
It is thought that the boat used to push the floating bridge into place during certain tides is unavailable on Christmas Day.
Southern Vectis bus services are due to be operating between Cowes and Newport and Newport and East Cowes, both ways, on Christmas Day to a special timetable — for details visit https://www.islandbuses.info/driving-you-home-christmas.
The Isle of Wight Council would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused due to these exceptional circumstances.
A good service then !!!!!
The only ‘exceptional circumstance’ is the continued incompetence of the council, a rabble that I am pleased to that I am no part of. Could they, please, organise just one thing early in the New Year, a mass sacking of all of them and give us all a break. Maybe appoint a top person who has a proven good record in industry and can actually run things properly, not like the current incumbent(s).
Get rid of the floating bridge and put a static one in its place. Problem solved, no matter what time of day or night there will never be any cancellations.
Did anyone ask if boat available firstly, and no one on stand by I case of sickness or other reason for staff unavailable ?
Of course not, what else do you expect of the brainless council?
Why the hell do they need a boat to push the ruddy thing into place? The old one never needed one.
Floating Bridge out of Action .. Whats New ????