Council chiefs are holding crisis talks after the Tilbury to Gravesend Ferry management closed down its operation for good on Tuesday.

The move followed strikes by six employees from Saturday to Tuesday, in protest at not being paid wages and redundancy money owed when previous owners White Horse Fast Ferries went into liquidation in May.

Lay Construction, which has operated the service since then, says it made clear when it took over the ferry it could not accept any commercial liabilities.

It has also emerged Lay Construction were just days away from buying the service until crew went on strike, leaving no skilled staff to operate it.

And today (Thursday) the striking workers found themselves out of pocket and out of a job as Lay Construction threw in the towel.

Speaking on Tuesday, managing director Peter Lay said: "The staff decided to withdraw their labour on Saturday, the ferry didn't operate on Sunday and the staff did not show on Monday.

"We can't operate the service without crew or passengers; I think it's dead."

Representatives from Thurrock, Gravesham and Kent County Councils - which subsidise the service - met on Tuesday afternoon for talks to try to resurrect the ferry.

A council spokeswoman said: "We are talking to a number of other operators who may be interested in running the ferry in the short term, and might in the long term."

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