Shields Ferry: Bid to save service at risk of closing

Transport bosses are investigating whether a ferry service can continue after a bid for government funding was rejected.

Shields Ferry operator Nexus said the deteriorating North Shields jetty would be unsafe to use by 2025.

It is feared the service could end without Levelling Up funding of £5.6m to build a replacement.

Feasibility studies will now be carried out to see if the landing can be refurbished.

A new £8.8m landing closer to the Fish Quay had been planned as part of a regeneration project.

Nexus had agreed to contribute £3.2m and had secured £5.6m from the government's Getting Building Fund.

However, it was unable to accept the grant because of the timescales attached, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Last week, the North East Joint Transport Committee (JTC) heard that North Tyneside Council's bid for Levelling Up funding had been unsuccessful.

At a further committee meeting on Tuesday, Nexus finance chief John Fenwick said: "The problem is that the landing is approaching the end of its designed life.

"There has been routine maintenance work happening for some considerable time to make sure it is safe to operate the ferry service."

Mr Fenwick said further investigations would determine if there was "any further life beyond 2025".

Tobyn Hughes, managing director of Transport North East, told the meeting that there was not "currently an established funding source" for the landing.

He said: "We are actively looking for ways to secure its funding and once we have got that we will be bringing the proposal back to the committee in due course".

At a previous North East JTC meeting, North Tyneside deputy mayor Carl Johnson said: "The ferry is important for commuters and for leisure, but once we lose it then we will not be able to get the funding to bring it back."

Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].