Rumours floating about Folkestone concerning the start of ferry services to Boulogne have been cut adrift.

A French newspaper began the talk with a story about the town’s ambitions to run a service, replacing the one lost in 2001.

Against that has to be set the troubled waters SeaFrance has sailed into and the start of another service from Dover.

While both the Folkestone Harbour Company and Shepway District Council are very keen to see boats running again, neither are aware of anything starting soon.

Peter Bettley, of the Harbour, said the port would love to hear from anyone wanting to start a service, however he was sceptical about anything starting soon.

A Ramsgate-Boulogne service that was announced with great fanfare has failed to materialise after it emerged there was no funding set up.

Leader of the council Cllr Robert Bliss said: “I would love to see a passenger ferry, but not a car ferry as we don’t want cars and lorries running through the town.

“Having said that, if it had to be car ferry that wouldn’t matter to me, but there are no concrete plans at the moment.”

One of the things holding Folkestone’s ferry ambitions back is the poor road connections to the port, as cars and lorries would have to thunder up Tontine Street and past homes and businesses on the Dover Road.

The much-criticised plans to shut the harbour railway line stem from the need to turn it into a road and the harbour board reckons the planned development of the area would not be able to to go ahead, or possibly even get permission, should road links stay as poor as they are.