The Cowes Floating Bridge will remain out of action for the foreseeable future due to a major fault with the hydraulic system, the Isle of Wight Council has announced.
No time frame has been given as to when the troubled Floating Bridge No.6 will resume it’s normal service between East and West Cowes.
The Floating Bridge was taken out of service in July for scheduled maintenance, which had been delayed in order to provide an essential link to mainland ferry services during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was originally planned that the floating bridge would be suspended for 10 days, but unfortunately, whilst undergoing tests prior to returning to service, a major fault with the hydraulic system was identified.
The shipbuilders and their approved contractors have investigated this issue and have advised the Council that the vessel cannot currently return to service.
Once the system fault and the required replacement parts have been identified, the aim will be to return the service as quickly and safely as possible. It is not known when this will be, but a further update is expected by the end of the week.
The foot passenger launch service will continue to operate from 05:00-23:00 (06:30-23:00 Sundays).
The Isle of Wight Council apologises for any inconvenience caused by this ongoing disruption to the service.
Wonder how long it will be before the council try to pretend this major outage never happened and claim a 100% reliability rate.
I don’t understand why this was not returned to builders as unfit for purpose
They can’t because the council would have been consulted at every point during its design and build, and signed it off…
Hydraulics are not rocket science so it shouldn’t be beyond the skill of a half competent engineer to sort out the problem. Did the Council buy the fiasco that is Floaty 6 without any sort of guarantee or service agreement? Perhaps Island Roads could show some sense about where they carry out road works whilst the Floating Bridge is out of service to avoid the ridiculous congestion around Cowes this week
Nah that’s way too organised, let the innocent commuters suffer
Major fault with my wages so council tax won’t be paid for the foreseeable future.. im sure the council will understand
Pete you’ve hit the nail on the head, maybe the island as a whole should stop paying council tax until such a time the council use the money wisely rather than waste it all on unnecessary crap like this.
If it was wightlink or red funnel it would have been fixed because they would need it running to provide a service it should have been fixed by now its the same isn’t it
No, they are even more unreliable & embarrassing
The “gift” that we didn’t need, didn’t want, were not consulted on, have to pay for, that keeps on giving. Perhaps the Island biggest embarrassment? Oh wait, the magic roundabout………
Omg…. if cowes week was on the this would be up and running….. but for us islanders that need to travel to and from work we are forgotten. Seriously an investigation/ a public enquiry needs to be sorted….. maybe us islanders should take the council to court….. a go fund me page may help
Yes indeed, IF it was Cowes Week, the wreck that is called the floating bridge would be operating ‘efficiently’.
I seem to recall, last year, when the Council were ‘struggling’ with the problems with the (not very often) floating bridge, it was miraculously able to operate quite well when Cowes Week was on!!!
Forget the ‘blame game’. This thing is a TOTAL LIABILITY, and I for one am fed up with the ‘blame game’ of ‘someone else was allegedly responsible’ for the ordering etc, etc.
The Isle of Wight Council ordered and Commissioned this heap of c**p, therefore the IoW Council AS AN ENTITY are responsible for it, be you Tory, Liberal-Democrat, Labour, Green OR Independents!
YOU in County Hall are responsible, whatever the colour of your politics.
SURELY, whoever is in ‘offIce’, should benefit from getting this gigantic white pachyderm sorted At the expense of your political rivals!!!
Lol it’s pathetic. Do the council realise we are meant to be in the 21st century?? This form of travel is from the 18th! Maybe they will look at a medina crossing now??
A medina crossing would be far too sensible for the clowns on the council.
I’m sick and tired of hearing about this idiotic floating bridge and its problems, shut it down permanently and claim compensation from it’s makers on the grounds of it not being fit for purpose.
I’m tired of our incompetent Council that appears to be run by uneducated, irresponsible, idiots that are in a job solely to have letters after their name’s.
This Council are a disgrace and would be more suited in a third world country, i have no idea why the island people voted these idiots in.
It’s not just the voted in ones, it’s the ones employed and this must be applicable to the very top management ( or supposed management). More like the funny handshake brigade.
Still no one held to account for this ongoing farce. Are they waiting until those responsible have retired on a huge pension. Poll tax will soar next year, to cover this shambles.
Oh fukc off !! This a joke, much like the council that bought it !!
I know 2020 has been a crazy year but surely there is only 1 April 1st …….
Scrap yard springs to mind.
Cut loses & get scrap money.
Take it out in channel & navy has ideal target for guns.
Then it can do some good as an artificial reef for the fish, sorted!
The Major fault I think they will find is actually the council who run it.
Let us have the names of the people responsible for purchasing this rubbish with our money.
When we know who they are we must make sure when they come up for re-electing they
never represent us again. Why could we not have a basic lifting toll bridge?
Over the years i cannot think of one thing the council have done to benefit the Island.
If these people were working for private industry they would have been booted out.
Why not just tell us who was responsible for this shambles? Name some names, ask them why it’s never been fit for purpose, ask them to chip in and pay for it. It’s cost taxpayers millions, it’s a massive scandal.
Sadly the council are inept, and I know that at least one is for certain is avoiding employment regulations and taxes. I doubt he is the only one. The rest are likely useless, I expect a few are good, but just a few.
Problem being the next ‘elected’ will likely have a very similar mix.
Whoever drew up the contract should have ensured that the craft was fit for purpose or a full refund for all costs should be reimbursed.
Full judicial enquiry please. Enough public money squandered. Heads must role.
The Cowes Floating Bridge will remain out of action for the foreseeable future due to a major fault … and the fault is???
It was never fit for service in the first place.
I wonder how it got its safety certificate?
Some one who is trying to not be named, put their signature to the contract to buy this faulty piece of equipment. Who i wonder?
I assume the full council also voted for it, and if not, why not?
Lets have some names so they can be held accountable for this shambles.
Apologises for any inconvenience that it has caused they say?! The piece of crap has been an inconvenence from day one!! Useless iow council strikes again.
Every time this disaster breaks down and costs us yet more money, make me wonder why they don’t refurbish my old bridge 5. If it ain’t big enough, cut it down the middle, weld a section in and replate the bottom, fit new machinery, job done. It was lack of maintenance took my bridge out of service, constant maintenance means this bridge is never in service.
Love that comment Pete there deffently going to be a major fault in paying the big major hike on council tax next year ,like u said they will c it as understandable
Also why didnt they keep the old one as a spare rather then letting it rust in a grave in gosport
Homer Simpson could do a better job on that floating nightmare than the council and builders of number 6
Great again..when all the school children go back to cowes enterprise from east cowes..the jenny lee will probably still have social distancing and how many will it carry..on that assumption my son will be leaving at 5 am to get to school on time…and back at midnight…
I wonder if a FOI request into the council for the names of the people involved in this fiasco would garner any results?
just tow out to sea and sink it be cheaper in the long run