Popular ferry 'grounded until February' over fault

The ferry links Fleetwood and the Over Wyre communities of Knott End, Preesall and Pilling

LDRS The Wyre Rose ferry, a red and white vessel with an enclosed seating area and a raised captain's cabin on top. A man is standing by the gangplank to the right in a high vis coat — The ferry links Fleetwood and the Over Wyre communities of Knott End, Preesall and Pilling

A long-running ferry service in Lancashire will be out of action until February due to a fault with the vessel.

Currently run by Wyre Marine Services, using the vessel Wyre Rose, the Fleetwood to Knott End ferry service crosses the River Wyre in five minutes, and can carry up to 35 passengers.

It provides a vital link between Fleetwood and the Over Wyre communities of Knott End, Preesall and Pilling.

But the operators posted an announcement on Facebook explaining they had made the "difficult decision" to close the ferry early for its yearly annual maintenance.

'Cannot procure parts'

They said: "The vessel has encountered a fault which requires parts and engineering work to be carried out.

"However, due to the Christmas break, many of our suppliers are closed and cannot procure the parts we require.

"Therefore we have made the decision to close a couple of weeks earlier than expected and start her annual maintenance work.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

"We will update with a return to service date once we have one - this will be around February."

Although not operated by Wyre Council, the authority supports the ferry along with Lancashire County Council.

Two years ago, the service was saved thanks to an £80,000 investment from the two authorities.

The funding, extending over a four-year period from 2022, helped secure the future of the service, which has run since 1841.

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