IT'S the end of an era for Salcombe, with the announcement just before Christmas that the iconic and much-loved MV Egremont is likely to be scrapped due to the cost of urgent repairs.

Egremont, an ex-Mersey ferry that began life plying her trade between Liverpool and Birkenhead, was brought to the Salcombe Estuary in 1976 to serve as the headquarters of the Island Cruising Club.

In the almost 40 years since, the ship has been at the centre of happy memories for thousands of people, as the club's base on the water, and a place where so many youngsters from the South Hams and further afield learnt to sail.

However, Egremont's deteriorating condition now means that the Egremont Trust, formed in 2012 as a charity to look after the vessel, has had to go into receivership.

In a statement it said: 'Every effort was made by the board of trustees to make ends meet – including working for free for several months in a bid to reduce costs where at all possible.

'A recent bid was submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund for more than £200,000 to pay for a major maintenance overhaul and update of her outdated facilities, but had to be withdrawn when a survey indicated that between £600,000 and £800,000 was needed to ensure that the Egremont met all health and safety requirements.

'The Egremont has been an icon within the estuary since 1976 and during that time thousands of people of all ages have enjoyed holidays on board, but recent reductions in revenue - by 60 percent in the last four years - have made the business model unsustainable, particularly when set against a rapidly rising maintenance budget for the aging vessel.'

More on this story in this week's Kingsbridge & Salcombe Gazette