Red Funnel announces Isle of Wight ferry cancellations on day of Queen's funeral

Ferry company Red Funnel says its services to and from the Isle of Wight will be reduced on the day of the Queen's funeral so staff can watch the historic event.

The company will operate a scaled back timetable on Monday, September 19, as a show of respect for The Royal Family and Queen Elizabeth II.

People travelling into London have been warned it will be exceptionally busy with more than 750,000 people expected to file past the Queen's coffin in the Palace of Westminster.

Which services are cancelled?

Red Jet sailings from Southampton at 10:20am and 11:30am, and from West Cowes at 10:55am and 12:05pm, will not operate.

Hourly vehicle ferry services are cancelled from Southampton at 10:00am, 11:00am and 12:00pm.

The Red Kestrel freight service will run as normal, but services from Southampton at 10:25am and East Cowes at 11:55am have also been cancelled.

What if I want to travel to London for the Queen's funeral?

Islanders can travel to London for the Queen's funeral. The company is providing extra early morning services from Southampton at 05:30am and West Cowes at 06:05am.

Fran Collins, CEO of Red Funnel, said: "We have made the decision to revise our service on Monday the 19th of September as a show of respect for Her Majesty The Queen’s 70 years of service to our country.

"We think it is important to pay tribute to her great contribution and we want to enable our staff to be able to participate and reflect on this day of mourning.

"This is a historic event that will see many across the world united, and it is only right for us to pause and partake in memory of such an inspirational figure in our lives.

"We apologise to anyone who may be inconvenienced by this decision, but we hope our customers will understand the context and support us too."