CROSS-Channel ferry operator LD Lines has cancelled its high-speed catamaran service between Le Havre and Portsmouth as as safety precaution.

The Norman Arrow has been taken out of service a fortnight earlier than planned for checks after it hit a buoy in Le Havre port at the weekend.

Passengers were taken off the vessel safely on Sunday and an investigation is under way into what happened.

The ferry was operating a six-month season on the Portsmouth-Le Havre route, which was due to end on September 13.

Passengers with bookings on the high-speed vessel will be transferred on to the slower Côte d'Albatre where possible, which takes five-and-a-half hours instead of three hours and 15 minutes.

For more information, call LD Lines on +44 (0) 84 45 768 836.