A FERRY company forced out of Weymouth because of damaged harbour walls has been officially raising concerns about the state of the quay for the past year.

Condor Ferries, which has switched its cross-Channel services to Poole for the foreseeable future, says it is pleased that Weymouth and Portland Borough Council are planning works for the crumbling harbour.

But it revealed it has been advising the council for a year on what needs to be done to improve the quay.

As far back as 2002 the council recognised the structure was deteriorating but it was planned to include these repairs within the Pavilion peninsula development.

The scheme by Howard Holdings never happened when the company backed out in 2009.

The damage to the walls has now become so bad that Condor has moved ports for safety reasons and the council is now facing a race against time to ensure the berth is ready for the 2013 summer sailing schedule next March.

As well as works on the quay, which are estimated to cost £2million, the council is considering a redevelopment of the port to include a new ramp and ferry terminal buildings to ensure the port’s long-term future.

In response to council plans, indicated in a report to next Tuesday’s management committee, Condor Ferries operations director Captain Fran Collins said: “We continue to liaise with the council regarding its plans for the future of Weymouth Port, as we do with all our ports.

“Condor Ferries has a long and successful association with the area, operating services from Weymouth to the Channel Islands and Western France.

“We have raised the need for improvements to meet both customer and operational requirements with the harbour management over the past year and provided them with feedback on key areas for improvement.

“We are aware that the council intends to repair the quay wall, and are pleased that the redevelopment of the port and its facilities is being given thorough consideration.”

Capt Collins said virtually all passengers affected by the port switch had now been contacted.

She added: “Delivering a high level of customer service and experience is one of our top priorities.

“We al-ways listen to customer feedback and work hard to act on it to make sure we satisfy their requirements with our services. Consequently, we will continue to evaluate all potential UK departure port operational options to deliver this.”

The borough council’s environment chief David Evans said the authority is working closely with Condor and is committed to ensuring that sailings can resume as soon as possible.

He said: “We recognise the needs of Condor Ferries and discussions are underway not just regarding repair work but also redevelopment of the site to safeguard the future of Weymouth’s ferry terminal.”