A NEW route between Hampshire and France has been announced by Brittany Ferries.

Between May and September, holiday makers will be able to travel from Portsmouth to Le Havre, four days a week, in less than four hours.

The high-speed ferry, the Normandie Express, will take up to 850 passengers and 235 vehicles across the channel to the city which is just a two hour drive from Paris.

Mike Bevens, Group Passenger Commercial Director, said: “Bookings have bounced back this year and we saw an opportunity to increase our range of destinations and therefore provide even greater choice for our customers, particularly those heading for eastern France, Paris and the Alps.”

Brittany Ferries already has five routes between the UK and France, including between Portsmouth and St Malo, Caen and Cherbourg.

If the new route is popular this year, it may return next summer.