French stop HD ferry sailings

Wednesday 12th September 2007, 12:00AM BST.

ISLAND rugby fans with tickets for England’s crucial World Cup qualifier against the Springboks in Paris on Friday may be crying into their pints even if Phil Vickery’s men win.

HD Ferries have been stopped from sailing again, throwing many Islanders’ travel plans into jeopardy. This time, it is the French maritime authorities who are reported to have acted on concerns about the way the company was operating. Last night, HD Ferries bosses were in emergency talks with those authorities who have stopped the company sailing from St Malo. Shortly before 11 am today, HD announced that they would be sailing again at 7.15 am on Friday. HD Ferries chief executive Chris Howe-Davies said: ‘We would like to apologise to our customers for this operational problem. We are working very hard to resume the service as quickly as possible and to minimise disruption to our loyal customers.’

Read the full story in the Jersey Evening Post. Click here for subscription details. Individual editions are also available online.