The headquarters of the UK's busiest international ferry operator has been put on the market.

Channel House, in Dover, has been home to P&O Ferries since 1987.

The property overlooks the Port of Dover from its site in Channel View Road, just off the A20.

However, the freehold of the entire three acre property is now available to purchase on both a conditional or unconditional basis.

It has been listed with Martine Waghorn for £4.5 million, with an annual business rates price of £294,840 also being set.

The plot includes the sale of its 25,952 sq ft warehouse and 298 parking spaces.

The surveyor says the plot is "suitable for a wide range of business, leisure and other uses".

It adds: "Channel House was built in 1982 to a modernist design by Dover architects Dudley Marsh & Co as the administrative headquarters for P&O Ferries.

"The flagship air conditioned offices offer light, attractive and modern space laid out around a full height atrium.

"There are substantial kitchen and canteen facilities opening onto a terrace with commanding southerly views.

"The under-croft and basement areas provide substantial secure car parking, [while] the warehouse to the rear of the site, which is connected to the main building, has two loading doors and a substantial loading apron."

It is not yet known how a sale would impact the ferry operator. The company has been contacted for comment.

It’s believed the company will still have a presence in Kent as well as at its Woking office and this isn’t expected to result in job losses.

KentOnline understands P&O has made the decision in an effort to keep its carbon footprint efficient.

The building was built in 1982 as Enterprise House for fellow ferry operator, Townsend Thoresen, whose parent company European Ferries was bought by P&O in 1985.

It then moved to the site in October 1987 where it has remained ever since.

P&O, which claims to carry more than 10 million passengers and two million units of freight every year, hit the headlines on March 17, 2022 when a controversial Tweet sent shockwaves across the UK.

Apologising to customers, it warned it would not be able to run ferries "for the next few hours".

Behind the scenes, its management was preparing to drop one of the corporate world's most remarkable bombshells – to axe almost 800 of it seafaring crew working its routes around the nation, 600 of which were in Dover.

As they steered the vessels back into port, they were sat in front of a video screen where they heard they were all being made redundant with immediate effect.

Dockside, minibuses with agency staff - hired for just £5.10 an hour - were arriving and the crews replaced.

It reportedly led to the company losing about £47 million.