RED Funnel customers spent more than eight hours trying to cross The Solent last night (Thursday).

Passengers booked on the 7.30pm car ferry crossing from Southampton left at 8.33pm but did not arrive at East Cowes until 3.18am this morning (Friday).

Chief executive of Red Funnel, Fran Collins, said when the Red Osprey left Southampton at just after 8.30pm, the crew had been given the green light to sail into Cowes and anticipated a successful crossing.

The vessel sailed back to Southampton, where passengers could either disembark on the mainland or wait for the fog to clear.

Those who chose to wait boarded the Red Falcon and arrived in East Cowes at 3.18am.

Ms Collins said: "Being stuck on board a ferry and being in limbo between terminals for eight hours was far less than ideal and would have been an unhappy and exhausting experience for our passengers.

"We appreciate that even upon arriving for their scheduled crossing, many of our passengers were already tired from a long day, especially anyone travelling with small children.

"Our crew did the very best they could to keep everyone as comfortable as possible and offered complimentary food and beverages throughout the night."

Ms Collins thanks everyone who stuck it out with them last night and those who appreciated the teams did the very best they could as well as the captain and the crew members who worked tirelessly and overtime last night.

"There is a great deal of work that goes on behind the scenes during cases of extreme fog, and we’re so grateful to have such a fantastic and skilled team ensuring the safety of our passengers and crew. We wish everyone a far more relaxing day today and will continue to do our best no matter what Mother Nature throws our way."