Published: Wednesday, 16th July 2025
Contractors continue to work on the landing stage and handrails on the West Lynn and King’s Lynn side of the West Lynn ferry.
The portfolio holders from the borough and county councils visited both landings on Monday as part of an inspection of the progress so far.
The ferry service was suspended earlier this year due to concerns about passenger safety Norfolk County Council and the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk funded repairs at a cost of nearly £100,000. In addition, the operator has carried out some work to the vessel.
Cabinet Member for Climate Change at the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, Cllr Michael de Whalley, said: “I would like to thank the ferry users for their patience. It has been an exemplar of joint working with Norfolk County Council. I would also like to thank the ferry operator for their understanding and cooperation, and some of the work they had to undertake to be able to reinstate the service.
“The West Lynn Ferry has operated for hundreds of years. I am reassured by our visit to both landings today. Repair work is continuing well, with the end in sight for the completion of this work and the resumption of a consistent service to the town.”
Cllr Graham Plant, Cabinet member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport at Norfolk County Council, said: “The ferry has been closed for a while, but we have done an awful lot of work on repairing and replacing a lot of the steps because they were unsafe. Resolving these issues has been a joint effort by the county council and borough council and we have each paid 50% of the costs.
“A lot of people rely on the ferry to travel from West Lynn and the town and it is important that it is brought back into service as soon as possible.”
Ben Ellis, Skipper and part owner of the West Lynn Ferry, said: “The ferry is coming back, stronger than ever. The steps are a lot better. I just can’t wait to get back. All the passengers who have said that they would use the ferry I hope that they do. I look forward to seeing everyone.”
Although the timetable for the work can’t be exact as it will be affected by tides and weather, it is expected to complete within the next few weeks.
The work includes reinstatement of handrails and a barrier to protect the landing stages at both the King’s Lynn and West Lynn ferry landings.