Sussex's high speed ferry link to the Continent has been scrapped.

Hoverspeed announced it would withdraw its ferries after failing to reach an agreement with French company Transmanche.

The announcement means disruption for hundreds of daytrippers and holiday makers who had made reservations with Hoverspeed.

Passengers now face four-hour journeys on the 67-mile route to Dieppe rather than the two hours the trip took on Hoverspeed's SuperSeaCat fast ferries.

Hoverspeed managing director Geoffrey Ede said: "We have been in discussions for some time regarding the charter by Transmanche of the SuperSeacat vessel to be manned by Hoverspeed crew. It is disappointing for us, but more importantly our passengers. The service which was scheduled to restart on 28 April will not now operate and the craft will be redeployed".

Mr Ede said the company would contact passengers who had booked on the route and assign them to crossings on other Hoverspeed services.

He added: "Taking care of our passengers is our first priority".

Hoverspeed started the summer seasonal service on the Newhaven to Dieppe route in 1999 when P&O Stena Line pulled out.

For several months the company has been in negotiations over a deal in which Transmanche, which owns the Newhaven and Dieppe ports, would charter one of the fast ferries and operate it in tandem with two conventional ferries.

Steve Forrest, operations manager for Transmanche at Newhaven, said: "Negotiations have broken down. Proposed terms were too one-sided in Hoverspeed's favour and the fast ferry service is no more.

"We did not think the terms offered by Hoverspeed were viable.".

Transmanche started operating its Sardinia Vera freight and passenger service all year round in May 2001.

Later, the vessel MV Dieppe joined the route. Hoverspeed worked with Transmanche for three years but the relationship became strained.

Former Brighton councillor and businesswoman Frances Hix, who has a house in Dieppe, said: "This is all very frustrating. We have not been over to Dieppe this month with the ferry being out of action.

"The people of Dieppe, especially the restaurants, rely on the English coming over in the summer on fast ferries and it will be a real blow for them."

Graham Amy, president of Newhaven Chamber of Commerce and a town councillor, said: "It is very disappointing about Hoverspeed but Transmanche has promised us new ferries on the route and the first could be just 12 months away.

"Transmanche needs to invest in the port and improve its infrastructure. The people of Newhaven and the port will bounce back from this."

The numbers using the Newhaven-Dieppe Hoverspeed fast ferry service between March and September have declined each year since 2001.

Hoverspeed did well in 2001 with 300,000 passengers and 75,000 vehicles but numbers declined to 260,000 and more than 60,000 vehicles in 2005.

A Spanish shipyard is building two 16,000-tonne boats for Transmanche at a cost of £55 million for use on the route, which will make the crossing in three hours.

The first is due to arrive next February and the second six months later.

Tuesday March 8, 2005