Major disruption on Isle of Wight ferry firm Red Funnel is likely to continue into the late afternoon and early evening, the County Press has been told.

All services on the car ferry route are currently suspended until further notice.

It had been hoped it would return by midday. However, that is not the case.

Coaches and cars waiting to boardCoaches and cars waiting to board (Image: IWCP)

Red Funnel staff on site are telling customers that they hope to have the service back up and running from Southampton by 4pm.

Read more: Red Funnel suspended 'until further notice' after East Cowes drawbridge failure

They say that would mean the first departure from the Island is likely to be around 5pm, at the earliest.

A 'technical issue' with the linkspan at the East Cowes terminal, and subsequent repairs, are being blamed.

Coaches and cars are arriving at the terminal, only to be told they cannot board for hours yet.

As previously reported, all crossings on the vehicle ferry route between East Cowes and Southampton were cancelled last night.

The linkspan is the drawbridge which connects the ferry to the terminal, allowing vehicles to board and disembark the vessel.

The issue has also led to the suspension of Red Kestrel, the freight-only ferry.

Updated

Live updates here: LIVE as Red Funnel car ferries suspended

A statement on the Red Funnel website now says that departures up to 4pm from Southampton and 4.30pm from East Cowes have been cancelled.

"Our engineers are on site assessing the cause of the fault and completing the necessary repairs".

"We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience to our customers. We are fully committed to restoring our service as quickly as possible", a spokesperson said.