SPEEDFERRIES is being urged to end its ban on foot passengers.

The decision by the newest cross-Channel operator to shun so-called "footies" on the grounds that there are fewer of them and they need costly bussing arrangements has angered officials and passengers on both sides of the Channel.

The port town of Boulogne has been crying out for resumed ferry links with Kent that were axed in 2000.

Retailers have been feeling the pinch without the once regular supply of English customers.

But SpeedFerries has provoked concern by its refusal to take foot passengers and coaches. It has talked up the advantages for motorists wanting to use the ferry for quick links with the A16 motorway, Paris and beyond.

Francis Leroy, president of Boulogne Chamber of Commerce, said the decision was "a problem for us".

The chamber had invested millions of euros in new port facilities and the town was looking forward to economic benefits from the new link. Foot passengers and short break holidaymakers were vital to those benefits.

He hoped to persuade the operator to change its mind. "I think in two months we will have done that," he said.

Mr Stavis said he had promised Boulogne to do his best but foot passengers were not profitable and "could damage the whole operation".

The market for foot passengers was dropping and coaches slowed things up for motorists.

"We have to be sure that we don't invest in things that will be a loss for us." But he was investigating the situation and there was a 50/50 chance he would change the policy.

For all his misgivings over SpeedFerries strategy on foot passengers, Mr Leroy welcomed the new service, saying it was a marvellous day.

He also hoped to persuade more French people to travel to Dover because for every 80 British people travelling to France, only 20 French people take the trip to Kent.

His colleague Valerie Lamart urged Kent to do more to promote its attractions to the French public. For example, she had heard about the wild animal parks at Howletts and Port Lympne but not enough French people knew about them.

"They would be great places for French families with kids to visit," she said. "The nearest zoos to Boulogne are in Paris or Brussels."