FERRY passengers were left stranded on either side of King Harry Reach on Monday morning after the ferry was caught out by the low Spring tides and left high and dry on the slipway.

Embarrassed staff will have to wait until the high tide in the afternoon before the ferry can be re-floated off the slipway and business can be resumed. The loss of business will cost King Harry Ferry Ltd hundreds of pounds in lost revenue.

A spokesman said all the crew had been gainfully employed carrying out repairs and essential maintenance while they waited for the tide to come in.

"Unfortunately the ferry has run aground," said the spokesman. "It is very, very crucial with the tides that the timing is right. The amount of time spent on the slipway is critical especially with these extremely low tides. If we have to wait too long for a car getting on then we can miss the slot."

The ferry was left stranded on the Feock side of the reach at low tide at around 10.30am this morning.

Tim Light managing director of King Harry Ferry Ltd said he was highly embarrased by the incident. "It is one of those whoops occasions," he said. "The driver waited too long and is horribly embarrassed. It is particularly embarrasing for parents trying to take their children to school from the Roseland. A lot of people rely on us. It is not acceptable and we are really sorry."