THE Sandbanks Ferry will be out of service for up to three weeks from Sunday, November 6.

The Bramble Bush Bay chain ferry, which runs across Poole harbour between Sandbanks and Shell Bay, is to undergo a refit.

A statement on the Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Company website, which operates the service, said: “Weather and other conditions permitting, the ferry will be withdrawn from service after the 8pm crossing on Sunday 6th November 2016 for a period of two to three weeks but we will do our best to keep the inevitable disruption to the minimum and return to service as soon as possible.”

The service dates back to 1923. The current ferry has been running crossings since 1994 and is refitted once every two years. It is 242 ft (73m) long and can hold 48 cars.

The Route 50 Purbeck Breezer is due to be diverted between Bournemouth and Swanage via the A351 while the ferry is out of service.