Windermere Ferry service has resumed this morning (August 8) after a severely damaged cable was found during a routine safety inspection - leading to operations being suspended over the weekend.

After the damage was identified on the Mallard, the South cable began to deteriorate significantly in 24 hours. Engineers were called out to inspect the cable and confirmed it required replacing.

The Mallard vessel is more than 30 years old, having first been introduced in 1991. The ferry service carries pedestrians and vehicles between Bowness and the west side of Windermere.

The journey takes around 10 minutes, one way, with the ferry carrying up to 18 cars and over 100 passengers.

Westmorland and Furness Council made the suspension announcement on its Facebook page and said it was uncertain how the damage occurred. It confirmed however that the damage is unconnected to a known cable strike by a yacht four weeks ago.

Following that incident, checks were done on the cable and showed no damage had been caused. Engineers on the most recent inspection confirmed that the cable damage was caused within the previous 24-48 hours.

After the necessary checks were done, the service was safe to resume this morning (August 8) at 6:50am. A spokesperson for Westmorland and Furness Council said yesterday (August 7): "Today we've been busy replacing the cables on Windermere Ferry following the damage that caused the suspension of services over the weekend.

"We have also inspected the lake bed to ensure there are no objects causing damage or affecting the cables and all safety checks have now been completed.

"Thank you for your patience and our apologies again for any inconvenience caused."

To find up-to-date information on the Windermere Ferry service, please visit its Twitter page.