Festival ferry link suspended after fault

A passenger ferry service between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight has been suspended after a problem with the vessel's exhaust was found.

Wightlink said the FastCat between Portsmouth Harbour – Ryde Pier Head was cancelled up to and including the 16:15 BST crossing. The ferry is used by people travelling from the Isle of Wight to the Victorious Festival.

The ferry firm said the hovercraft between Ryde and Southsea was set to run extra crossings with Wightlink tickets being accepted and passengers can also use the Portsmouth-Fishbourne car ferry instead.

On Saturday several hovercraft crossings between Ryde and Southsea were cancelled following a technical issue and bad weather conditions.

Apologising for the disruption Wightlink said: "Our engineering teams are working hard to complete the necessary repairs and safely return the vessel to service as soon as possible.

"If there are any changes to this situation or services can resume earlier than expected, we will provide a further update as soon as possible."

Travellers are being urged to check timetables and plan their journey before they travel.