THE price war on cross-Channel ferry services has intensified with SpeedFerries slashing the cost of a one-way ticket to £7.50.

And the company has also written to the Office of Fair Trading in London and the European competition authorities in Brussels to complain about “predatory pricing” by P&O Ferries.

SpeedFerries chief executive officer Curt Stavis, who runs his Speed One craft between Dover and Boulogne under the slogan Fight The Pirates, is claiming that P&O Ferries are offering cheaper tickets only on sailings which correspond with his craft’s sailings.

SpeedFerries have this week reduced their ticket prices, which were between £12.50 and £45 for a car and six passengers one way, to between £7.50 and £19.

Mr Stavis said 50,000 tickets were being offered at these prices and would be allocated on a “first-come, first-served” basis.

“SpeedFerries, being probably the only profitable operator on the Dover Strait, are proud to be able to offer these extremely attractive fares to customers,” he said.

“We expect and understand price competition from other operators, and we find it positive that our competitors now state publicly that they have become leaner and fitter, enabling them to stand up to the new market conditions created by our arrival.

“However, we have to react when predatory pricing clearly aimed at SpeedFerries is introduced by the largest ferry company out of Dover.

“Offering greatly reduced fares only on selected departures which match SpeedFerries sailings both ways is just one of the numerous dirty tricks we are facing.”

Mr Stavis said P&O Ferries’ customers could buy tickets for £60 return for sailings which matched his services, whereas fares for other daytime sailings varied from £92 to £183.

“Even late night tickets, for example at 3.15 in the morning, are £80, which is £20 more than the tickets for the departures which match SpeedFerries’ sailings.

“We are asking the authorities to investigate the legitimacy of this specific targeting of the departures of the newest ferry operator with the least capacity.”

A spokesman for P&O Ferries said: “It’s simply competition and we will always defend our right to compete. Since our comprehensive business review last year, we are now in a better position to be competitive and our one of our key tools is price.

“We have done special offers before and they are limited offers. We don’t feel we need to apologise to SpeedFerries.

“We are not bashful about trying to take business from SpeedFerries, SeaFrance, Norfolkline, Eurotunnel or the budget airlines for that matter.”

* SeaFrance Ferries has announced its lowest ever fare of £25 each way for people who book and pay for their tickets by April 28.

The fare is for travel throughout 2005 for a car and up to nine passengers.