THE FIRST phase of work to restore the last Aust car ferry has been completed.

Stabilisation work carried out by specialist bridging and steel firm, Mabey Bridge, on the Severn Princess has successfully been completed and the boat is now ready for the next stage of restoration work.

The historic car ferry is currently being worked on in Chepstow, where a group of enthusiasts who managed to track down the ferry had it towed to.

The Severn Princess is the last remaining of three ferries that provided an important link across the river for 35 years before the Severn Bridge was opened in 1966.

Along with the Severn King and Severn Queen, it carried drivers and their vehicles between Aust and Beachley, offering a more direct route than the 60-mile trip via Gloucester.

Among those who had used the service were The Beatles and Bob Dylan, with the Aust jetty featuring in a documentary about Dylan's life.

The vessel also featured in a Roger Moore film but was eventually abandoned in Connemara, Ireland, in 1995 in a poor state of repair.

The end of this first stage of restoration was marked with a handover ceremony attended by the Mayor of Chepstow Cllr Ned Heywood, members of the Severn Princess Restoration Group, and management and apprentices from Mabey Bridge.

At the event, Philip Clegg, production director of Mabey Bridge handed over a commemorative certificate to Councillor Heywood.

He said: “Mabey Bridge is delighted to have successfully completed this vital first stage of the restoration project.

“We are proud to have been able to lend our expertise as well as the skills of our apprentices, and through our Bridging Time campaign we have donated both materials and time to this project.

“The Severn Princess is an important cultural and industrial artefact and the company remains committed to its restoration.”

A considerable amount of water was drained from the hull, which is now being given a final layer of protective paint to complete this initial stabilisation phase.

To find out more about the Severn Princess project visit: www.severnprincess.org.uk