A CAMPAIGN has been launched to save Hampshire’s Hythe Pier railway and its connecting ferry.
Fears have been sounded that the ferry is unlikely to continue operating because of falling passenger numbers and the cost of repairing and maintaining the historic pier.
However, a petition launched by Hythe resident Maggie Blight in October gathered more than 5000 signatures in a week before presenting it to Hampshire County Council (HCC).
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Maggie Blight, an administrator who has used the ferry for 22 years, said: “The whole community has sponsored planks – people celebrate birthdays, marriages, engagements on the pier.
“We can’t just let it go to rack and ruin.
“The reason the numbers have dropped off is that they (HCC) don’t have a proper contingency in place. Sometimes you get a replacement bus with 19 seats, sometimes a 52-seater, so people couldn’t rely on it to get to work.
Read more in Issue 222 of Heritage Railway
