UPDATED: FASTCAT SERVICE SUSPENDED AS UNEXPECTED MECHANICAL ISSUE HITS

Wightlink has suspended its Fastcat foot passenger service to and from the Isle of Wight due to an unexpected mechanical issue.

The cross-Solent operator is running just 1 Wight Ryder on its Ryde Pier Head to Portsmouth Harbour service at the moment, with that vessel now unserviceable.

As a result, all crossings have been cancelled until further notice.

Engineers are working to resolve the problem, with a normal service expected to resume at 15:15 this afternoon (Friday).

In the meantime, customers can travel on the Portsmouth-Fishbourne car ferry service – or they can travel with Hovertravel, which will accept all Wightlink tickets at no extra cost.

A spokesperson for Wightlink has said:

“We sincerely apologise for the disruption to your travel plans and appreciate your understanding while we work to restore the service”.

UPDATE – The service has now resumed, as of the 14:45 from Ryde.