HOVERTRAVEL will be running a single-craft service for at least the next two weeks, the cross-Solent operator has announced.

An immediate change to its timetable is necessary so repairs can be carried out on one of its crafts.

It means the service will be hourly during off-peak operation.

The news comes following an incident on its Southsea landing pad on Friday, which saw a hovercraft crash into a safety bollard.

"Please accept our apologies for the short notice," said a spokesperson for Hovertravel.

"But due to operational reasons, we have been forced to make immediate changes to our timetable.

"While these repairs are being carried out, our timetable has been adjusted to become hourly during our off-peak operation.

"Detailed evaluation of our future demand indicates that we do not have large numbers of future bookings for the off-peak periods, and if demand does increase we have the ability to add in extra flights.

"With the upcoming Isle of Wight Festival this weekend, we will retain our half-hourly service to ensure that both regular travellers and festival-goers can travel with minimal disruption.

"We are also enhancing our Covid measures, specifically for the festival period, with additional hand-sanitising stations being created for the customers travelling during this time.

"We appreciate that these changes will be disruptive for a small number of customers and we have attempted to keep the adjustments to the minimum possible.

"Our staff in the call centre and in both terminals are available to help customers who need extra assistance in changing their flight times."