P&O Ferries to axe Liverpool to Dublin route

Ferry giant P&O Ferries has announced plans to close one of its routes towards the end of the year.

The Liverpool-Dublin route has been axed due to the unavailability of a berth in Merseyside, the firm said.

The company said it was now consulting with employees affected by the move.

Peel Ports, the owner of two firms which operates the Port of Liverpool, said the service would no longer stop in the city on "expiration of their existing contract".

In a statement, a spokesman for P&O Ferries said: "Extensive negotiations with the owner of our Liverpool site to extend our lease at the port or find an alternative site for our Liverpool-Dublin service to operate from have been unsuccessful.

"Unfortunately, despite utmost efforts by P&O Ferries to find a viable solution, no suitable alternative has been offered that would enable us to maintain the current service into 2024."

The company added: "We are saddened by our forced withdrawal from this route, which will reduce competition and the choice of sailings available to customers on a crossing where there is currently only one alternative operator."