A horse and cart were refused passage on the Sandbanks chain ferry - and spent almost two hours blocking the slipway in protest.

Passengers were unable to board the ferry on Monday while the horse and cart refused to move - leading to extremely long delays on the Studland side, where traffic was already heavy leaving Camp Bestival.

Police were called to the incident at 1.53pm but access to the ferry was not fully restored until 3pm.

The horse and cart have now moved to a nearby taxi rank, and traffic is able to freely board the ferry.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: "The horse and cart wanted to get on the ferry but were told the ferry does not accept horse and carts.

"They objected to this and refused to move. Officers were sent to resolve the situation.

"The horse and cart moved to a taxi rank just after 3pm. Traffic is flowing freely and the ferry is able to operate."

An ambulance had been temporarily prevented from getting onto the ferry, but had not been on an emergency call at the time, said police.

An Echo reader said the driver of the cart had 'almost been arrested' while another said they'd already been waiting an hour for the ferry at the Studland side before the police arrived.

A spokesperson for Sandbanks Ferry declined to comment. 

Traffic was already very heavy on the Purbecks side of the crossing because of traffic leaving Camp Bestival.