BRITTANY Ferries' popular Barfleur has made its first Channel crossings of the season between Poole to Cherbourg - almost 21 years after its inaugural trip.

The Finnish-built ship sailed into the Dorset port on Tuesday evening and left again this morning with 170 cars and 400 people on board.

Built in the early 1990s to bring some luxury to what was then a Truckline Ferries' route, Barfleur was axed in March 2010, but reinstated the following year on a trial basis.

Although the decision was taken to scrap the service for good last year, ferry bosses are keeping their fingers crossed for a bumper season.

Brittany Ferries' spokesman Christopher Jones said: “We're thrilled to be welcoming Barfleur back to Poole Harbour, and we know from speaking to our passengers that they are too - especially those living in Dorset.

“The service got off to a great start. The new timings seem popular and bookings for the summer season are already promising. We hope to be able to make the service a year-round operation but this will depend on how well supported it is during the summer.”