THE Waterside-to-Southampton ferry service has been closed after a freak gust of wind caused one of the boats to ram into Hythe's historic pier.

The service will be halted for several days after one of the main supports was bent in the crash.

Passengers on the ferry Hotspur IV were shocked by the sudden impact but no injuries were reported.

They were escorted ashore by White Horse Ferries' staff who instantly closed off pier, train and ferry until engineers could assess the risk to the 122-year-old structure.

Ferry boss Lloyd Lay said the emergency closure of the Hythe-Town Quay service was likely to last several days.

He said they were "extremely sorry" to let their passengers down, but safety had to come first.

"This was an abnormally strong gust which our skipper said he could not stand up in, it was so powerful," said Mr Lay.

"The Hotspur IV was just coming into dock and she collided with the pier. Both the ferry and the pier have been damaged, but until we meet with the contractors we don't know how severe the damage is."

He added that they would do their best to speed up repairs, but the right equipment to replace a pier support - known as a pile - might not be instantly available.