Sandbanks ferry resumes after car falls into water
The Sandbanks chain ferry service is now back in action, after it was suspended when a car became stuck in the water.
Sandbanks is a daily vehicular chain ferry that crosses the entrance of Poole Harbour in the English county of Dorset.
Dorset Police were called to Banks Road in Studland at on Thursday 15 June 2023, at 14:22 BST, after reports of a vehicle submerged in the sea. RNLI lifeboats were tasked from Poole to assist anybody who may have been in trouble in the water.
BREAKING: The #Sandbanks Ferry is suspended due to a car in the water. Police are urging people to avoid the area. Latest updates here: https://t.co/PrNKu7MfXe pic.twitter.com/TtC66Wz03z
— Bournemouth Echo (@Bournemouthecho) June 15, 2023
A spokesperson from Dorset Police confirmed the car was unoccupied and there had been no reports of injuries. It’s understood the vehicle had been left unsecured and rolled off the slipway into the water under the dock.
Ferry services between Sandbanks and Studland were suspended, with motorists urged to avoid the area. Dorset Police confirmed it was working with the coastguard, specialist divers and the harbourmaster to recover the car.
Madness at the Sandbanks-Studland ferry @Bournemouthecho @SandbanksFerry pic.twitter.com/VvIxN617oz
— The Devastating Rev. (@ConStoreKid) June 15, 2023
Video footage taken later that day and shared on social media shows the car being lifted out of the water upside down. Ferry services resumed at about 17:40.
