Ben Nicholson

People travelling with P& O Ferries have been warned of " significant disruption" to their journeys, after Frustrated customers have spoken to The Bbc about cancelled trips, last-minute texts, and their anger over The Treatment of employees.

John and Helen Carson were in a rush when they picked up The Phone . They were trying to get to John's brother's funeral in Northern Ireland .

The couple, from Leamington Spa, had planned to sail with P& O Ferries from Scotland to Northern Ireland on Friday, arriving A Day early to spend precious time with their family. But, as they drove into Gretna Green at 5pm on Thursday, they received a text from P& O saying their ferry was cancelled.

They were suddenly faced with the prospect of missing The Funeral .

" We were panicking, you know? " says John, 65. " We were on the computer all Last Night trying to get flights. "

They booked one that leaves London's Heathrow Airport at 6:40am on Saturday, and were on their way back to Leamington Spa to catch a few hours of sleep.

They have been unable to contact P& O Ferries, and hope they can get a refund for their £320 crossing - especially as they have spent about £600 on transport, hotels and the new flights.

" When you think about the fact that we're going Over There to bury My Brother and The Way they've treated us, " says John. " The stress and anxiety we faced Last Night . "

" What they've done to their poor staff is disgraceful and beyond comprehension, " he adds.

Ryan Fuller, from Gosport, works for a haulage Company - and is due to drive a six tonne shipment of aid to Ukrainian refugees on the Romanian border on Saturday.

But he fears he will not make it as he and his brother are booked on a P& O ferry.

" All was going to plan until P& O decided to do what they did, which has caused a bit of chaos, " he tells The Bbc .

Their shipment is made up of donations collected by a local Company , and includes food, clothes and toiletries.

" Hopefully we'll get Down There , " he says.

" Especially with The Russian attack outside Lviv, we really need to get the aid out to that border. "

Cathy Hunt, from Ilkley, had planned to travel with P& O Ferries this summer, but has cancelled her £1,400 Return Ticket and opted to go with a different ferry Company .

" We're supposed to be going on this holiday which was booked three years ago, " she tells BBC Radio 5 live, adding that the pandemic has prevented her from travelling. " This is the third time we've tried to go. "

" How they can treat their employees like this? It's just abhorrent, " she says.

" I'm not spending my hard-earned money on a Company that behaved like that. "

P& O Ferries said on Thursday that the decision to lay off 800 workers was " tough" but The Business would not be viable without " making swift and significant changes now".

It said it had made a £100m loss year-on-year, which has been covered by its parent Company , Dp World .

Announcing The Job losses, it said: " This is not sustainable. Without these changes there is No Future for P& O Ferries. "

The Company has told clients The Changes will allow it to provide " a better service to our customers across the tourism and freight industries".

It warned of " significant disruption" over The Coming days, but said it was working " to minimise the impact on your journey".

It has apologised to customers on Social Media .

Ben Nicholson , from Workington, is a promotions manager for darts events. He travels on a darts mini cruise from Hull to Rotterdam twice a year with P& O ferries - A Trip where darts fans get a chance to play with professionals.

He was meant to join The Next trip in December, but will no longer go because of what he says is " disgusting" treatment of staff.

" They're all absolutely fantastic, they work really hard, " he says, adding that captains even sometimes posed for photographs with players.

" It's an entertainment ferry so they're not just there to transport passengers, there's a show to put on. "

He says he will be open to opportunities to work with other ferry companies instead.

" Even if P& O Turn Around and say 'we still want to carry on'. . we will not support it, " he says. " As a promoter and a darts fan I would not ever support it again. "

Source of news: bbc.com