The Manx government has told a Liverpool taxi firm that it has lost a contract to transfer patients travelling from the Isle of Man to hospitals in the North West of England for treatment.

After a tender process Bridgewater Transfers has been emailed by the Department of Health and Social Care to inform it that the company would no longer be providing the service.

In 2010 Bridgewater lost the contract but its replacement was so unpopular the Manx government did a U-turn.

Bridgewater boss Mike Jenkins told Manx Radio: ’It is our main contract. We have turned down larger contracts because we need the drivers available.

’The type of drivers we have have the experience. So now we’ve lost it they will be leaving us.

’It’s a big disappointment. We’ve made an awful lot of friends over the years and we feel partly Manx and part of the family over there.’

Now a petition has been launched online to keep the service.

https://www.change.org/p/isle-of-man-government-tynwald-bridgewater-taxis-to-keep-their-contract-for-patient-transfers?recruiter=395630655&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=mob-xs-share_petition-reason_msg