BOSSES have come under fire for refusing to reimburse passengers left stranded after the Hythe ferry broke down two days running.

Commuters were forced to use buses and other forms of transport after the vessel Great Expectations was hit by the same fault twice in 24 hours.

White Horse Ferries, which runs the service, was unable to use its other boat because of gearbox problems.

Passenger Maggie Blight said: “A number of people had to find another way into work. Some of us bike to the ferry from Holbury and beyond and had to ride home again before considering alternative routes. Some, like myself, took a bus and retained our receipts, expecting the ferry would give us a refund. But the ferry was closed again yesterday and the operator has refused to refund the passengers.

“There are two ferries. Why are there no contingency plans in place when one breaks down and the other is in pieces?”

White Horse Ferries spokesman Richard Lay said Great Expectations was hit by a control line fault in one of its engines.

He added: “The ferry was out of service for a short period of up to an hour on each occasion. We do our best but occasionally get breakdowns. Every form of transport has its problems. We’d love to bring a new boat into service but can’t afford it.”

Mr Lay said the company was also unable to bear the cost of reimbursing passengers who had to use more expensive forms of transport.

“We always offer them two free tickets,”

he said.