Christmas travel to and from the Isle of Wight faces serious disruption due to a strike threat at one of the two main ferry companies serving the island.
Wightlink’s Portsmouth to Fishbourne service is threatened by a walk out by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union over the dismissal of a trade union representative.
The RMT said members would strike for 24 hours on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. They will also not work any overtime or rest days from December 24 until further notice.
The ferry operator has already withdrawn Christmas Day sailings to the island from Portsmouth and its Lymington-Yarmoth route due to “unavoidable operational problems”.
Wightlink said it was working on “contingency plans to ensure passengers’ travel arrangements to and from the Isle of Wight can be fulfilled”.
But it added: “The company apologises in advance to its customers for any disruption that will be caused by the forthcoming strike.”