P&O Ferries sacking of 800 staff which has “struck fear” into North Wales ferry workers, Anglesey (Ynys Môn) MP Virginia Crosbie has warned.

On Thursday (last week), P&O Ferries announced the sacking of 800 staff with immediate effect, who were to be replaced by agency workers in order for the company to remain a “viable business”, an act condemned by the UK Government.

Virginia Crosbie MP told the House of Commons of the uncertainty this has left among other ferry workers, including those in her constituency who have close ties to those that had worked for P&O.

Mrs Crosbie said: “I say all this to outline the fact that the bonds between my constituents and the employees of P&O are incredibly strong, and also that P&O’s recent actions have struck fear into our local ferry workers.

“I have spent time on the phone with constituents who work for Stena, including David Gwatkin, a steward on board the Stena Adventurer and a union representative.

The NorthWalesChronicle reports more on the ferryport town.

Afloat adds the Holyhead-Dublin Port ferry which operates in tandem with Stena Estrid, is currently in Cammell Laird shipyard on Merseyside for routine annual dry-docking.

While Stena Estrid is operating as the service's only ferry, as relief ferry Stena Nordica Afloat previously reported, has since been redeployed to the North Channel. This is to boost Belfast-Cairnyran capacity with added sailings, following more than a week of suspended P&O sailings on the Cairnryan-Larne link.

The Stena Adventurer which is normally the Irish Sea central corridor's second route ferry had departed Holyhead on 9 March when it sailed to the Birkenhead based shipyard.