'Fleas' infestation hits Wightlink St Clare ferry travelling between Portsmouth and Fishbourne
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A special fumigation team had to be deployed to solve the problem
Insects infested a ferry and forced services to be cancelled over the weekend.
The Wightlink St Clare car ferry had to be taken out of service on Sunday (October 4) as fleas were discovered on board. Transit services on the Portsmouth to Fishbourne route had to be halted for a period of time.
Wightlink told the BBC that the parasites were identified in an area of the passenger lounge, with "specialist fumigation and enhanced cleaning" needed to resolve the problem. It said “insects, possibly fleas” had emanated from a pet onboard.
More than 10 sailings on the route were cancelled. Passengers disrupted by the cancellations were moved to alternative sailings where possible.
Wightlink issued an apology for the inconvenience caused, and said the ship would be back in service once the treatment programme was completed. According to the Wightlink website, services were currently running normally.