BRITTANY Ferries has scooped two respected travel awards within the space of a week.

The company, which operates routes from Poole, took the Best Ferry Operator title at the Telegraph Travel Awards earlier this month.(December)

Just two days earlier the firm picked up the prize for Best Small Holiday Company to Western Europe at the British Travel Awards.

Brittany Ferries' head of marketing Richard Price said: "These awards are important because they are based on votes cast by customers and holiday makers.

"They demonstrate how much people value the Brittany Ferries experience on board, but also the service they receive when staying in beautiful destinations in France, Spain and Portugal."

The company operates regular cross channel sailings, from Poole to Cherbourg, on its 20,000-ton vessel Barfleur.

The Barfleur, launched in 1992, can carry 900 passengers and 590 cars.

Meanwhile, the Telegraph said: "Most of us use the channel tunnel and the short Dover-Calais or Dover-Dunkirk links, but the crossings Telegraph readers enjoy most are the longer routes to Normandy and Brittany - plus those down to the Spanish ports of Santander and Bilbao.

"The ferry operator which meets their expectations most consistently, and is the perennial winner of our awards, is Brittany Ferries.

"It has held the top spot since 2013, and its success seems to come down to three things - high quality, well-presented ships which feel more like cruise ships than ferries, excellent (French) cuisine - readers seem to feel they have arrived in France as soon as they drive up the ramp - and a great choice of ports and destinations along the north coasts of France and Spain.