Construction work at Twelve Quays in Birkenhead means the Steam Packet will not be sailing to Merseyside this winter.

All weekend sailings will go to Heysham instead of Birkenhead, with the ferry operator offering coaches to and from Liverpool.

The company was informed that as the work needs to take place at weekends, the berth in the River Mersey will not available to it for the usual winter sailings.

The £17 million project is been carried out by Peel Ports and Stena Line and will see the dock expand for the next-generation RoRo ferry vessels to reduce turnaround times, increase route capacity and implementing one way traffic or Stena Line’s new fleet on the Belfast to Birkenhead route.

With no other suitable berths available in Merseyside, the 14 timetabled weekend sailings to Birkenhead this year (from November 9 to January 5) will now be rescheduled to Heysham.

Saturday and Sunday sailings will depart Douglas at 8am and return from Heysham at 2.30pm, however foot passengers will arrive in Liverpool later than they would have done travelling to Birkenhead.

When the remainder of 2020 schedules are released in late October all winter weekend sailings will also be to and from Heysham at the usual time.

Steam Packet company chief executive Mark Woodward said: ’This is obviously a position beyond our control but to maintain twice daily services to the UK for both passengers and freight this winter, we will instead increase the number of sailings to Heysham at weekends.

’We will also be arranging an express coach service between Heysham and Liverpool on Saturdays and Sundays for foot passengers, arriving in Liverpool around half an hour after the coach would have normally arrived from Birkenhead. A return coach service to Heysham will be arranged, departing Pier Head at noon.

’Any existing bookings for Birkenhead will be offered this alternative route.’