Views sought over reintroduction of ferry service

An MP has encouraged residents of a harbour town to voice views over a passenger ferry service to the Isle of Man.

Josh MacAlister previously said plans to reintroduce ferries between Whitehaven and the Isle of Man was "a bit of a longshot" but explained he had since had an operator express an interest in the service.

The MP for Whitehaven and Workington said the operator - which has a 12-seat vessel - could potentially offer fast, direct sailings for "day trips, short breaks and major events on the Isle of Man".

He asked residents to provide their views in a survey to understand if there was enough demand to develop the proposals further.

The MP said he was particularly interesting in knowing whether residents would use the service, what sort of journeys were needed and reasonable ticket prices.

Currently, the closest port to get a ferry to the Isle of Man is Heysham in Lancashire.

MacAlister previously said he wanted to make Whitehaven the "Whitby of the west".

He added that, similar to Whitehaven, Whitby was "an hour from the motorway and right on the edge of a national park".

"If we can peel off some of the millions of tourists who visit the Lake District each year to spend time in west Cumbria, that would be amazing," he said.

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