'Worrying and frightening' - the South's businesses on the cruise industry crisis

Watch: How the cruise industry crisis is having a huge impact

The cruise industry has collapsed because of Covid-19 but it's not just the companies running the ships that have been financially affected.

Across the South there are businesses who rely on the industry to stay afloat and while there has been no passenger services since lockdown the situation is becoming extremely difficult.

At Cavendish Ships Stores in Fareham, Hampshire the sound of silence fills the warehouse which would normally be heaving with workers sending out supplies to feed passengers.

The company - which also is based in Tonbridge in Kent - is sitting on £1.4 million worth of stock.

A third of staff at Cavendish Ships stores have been made redundant and another third are on furlough.

There are some products being sent out from the warehouse which are going to ships to feed the staff who live on board.However, many have lots of supplies stockpiled so even if more passenger services start in November, John’s not expecting a significant order until the end of the year.

Director, John Davey said: "We've tried Ebay, we've tried other wholesalers to try and get rid of the stock to improve liquidity. But unfortunately we are a wholesale business, all we do is supply cruise ships."

"We see some green shoots but then there's a step backwards. There have been cruise ships which have gone to sea and been successful in delivering a product of some sorts. They've already told us ships are going to be capacitized to 50 so even the orders we had are going to be a lot less than we were ever doing."

Southampton White Taxi Excursions takes cruise passengers arriving in the South on tours of places as Highclere Castle in Berkshire and Salisbury Cathedral.

No cruise arrivals means no passengers and that's had a significant financial impact.

Dave said, "We've got a couple of bookings from this year which are booked next year but all dependant on whether the cruise industry starts going again. They're talking November but that's when they reposition to the Caribbean and the Mediterranean so it's not going to be any help to us. Really, we're not looking at getting any more business until March next year."

The Wiston Estate Winery near Worthing in Sussex has a special connection to the cruise industry.

The Queen broke a Nebuchadnezzar (20 bottles of wine) of Wiston on Britannia when it launched in Southampton in 2015.Since then the company’s wine has been drunk on cruise ships around the world.

They had a contract planned with one cruise operator but now they're not sure if that will happen.

Kirsty Goring, from Wiston Estate, said, "It would certainly have an impact for us if that doesn't come to pass and for - whatever reason - cruise ships are deemed as too many people in too concentrated a space. But I'm hopeful that having seen the size of something like Britannia that people could be spaced safely."

There are lots of businesses which revolve and rely on the trade from cruise ships so the industry’s success at bouncing back is crucial.