A VITAL ferry route to France is being axed three weeks earlier than planned after operating for over 40 years.
Customers have been told they will receive a full refund or alternative travel routes following the shock announcement.
Brittany Ferries has confirmed that the Poole to Cherbourg route will close three weeks earlier than planned.
The last crossing was originally set to take place at the end of the month.
All passengers who were set to be travelling in the latter half of the month will receive a full refund or be provided with alternative travel on Portsmouth routes.
The early axing of the Poole-to-Cherbourg route has occurred for two reasons.
Firstly, Brittany Ferries is selling the vessel which currently operates on the Rosslare/Cherbourg route – Cotentin.
To prepare, the vessel must be withdrawn from the service by mid-October.
Secondly, a back-up vessel, the Commodore Clipper, suffered gearbox failure earlier this month rendering the ferry out of action pending remedial work.
The gearbox issue forced the early closure of the Portsmouth-Le Havre route, but has now meant the company has needed to move Barfleur onto a new route and finish Poole-Cherbourg sailings earlier than planned.
Barfleur, the vessel which has served the crossing since 1992, is set to be moved to the Rosslare/Cherbourg route from October 12.
CEO of Brittany Ferries, Christophe Mathieu, said: “The reality is that, post-Brexit, Rosslare/Cherbourg has become a strategically significant route for Brittany Ferries, carrying nearly 25 percent of all freight traffic so we must prioritise.
“I know there will be disappointment with this operational change, and I apologise to all those travelling from Poole in the latter half of October.
“We shall of course refund tickets or provide alternative travel on routes out of Portsmouth.
“It has been a privilege to serve the Poole-Cherbourg route since 1986.”
The company revealed it would be shutting down the 40-year route owing to growing financial pressures, particularly affected by the pandemic, the EU’s Emissions Trading System and competition on the Eastern Channel.
The crossing closure is forecast to affect around 20 jobs and the decision forms part of a wider restructuring by Brittany Ferries.
Brittany Ferries has confirmed that passengers will still be able to head out to France from Poole, instead via the company’s seasonal service to St Malo.
Customers can also cross the Channel via routes from Portsmouth and Plymouth to Caen, Cherbourg, St Malo and Roscoff.
A new high-speed crossing between Poole, Guernsey and St Malo is set to be debuted in 2027.
The MS Barfleur first began her voyages between Dorset and France in 1992 and was the shortest journey over the Channel, taking just four hours and 15 minutes.
The crossing garnered a huge amount of success, leading to a £6million refurbishment of the ferry terminal in the 1990s.
The route has faced difficulties more recently, seeing a temporary closure in 2010 following a decrease in ticket sales – however it was reopened in 2013.