The ferry was brought back to shore on Monday

The cable-guided Higher Dartmouth Ferry broke its moorings and floated down the River Dart towards the sea on Sunday with 36 people and 15 cars on board.

The crew secured the vessel to a buoy before the passengers were taken onshore by lifeboat and another ferry.

It was brought back to shore after a night in the middle of the Dart.

I can imagine somebody's concern that it was perhaps quite frightening Tony Tucker, Dartmouth Higher Ferry

The ferry, which has been in operation since 1960, runs on two thick steel guide cables and transports cars and passengers between Kingswear and Dartmouth.

The guide cables are attached to heavy weights to keep them taught. But the combinations of tides and winds put them under too much pressure and they snapped, casting the paddle-driven ferry adrift with no means of steering.

It damaged a few yachts as it drifted.

Concerned members of the public called emergency services as the ferry drifted down the river.

The ferry crew managed to secure the chain ferry to a mooring buoy between Dart Haven Marina and the Higher ferry slipway 100 yards offshore.

Passengers were then taken to the Dart Marina Hotel and the Harbour Authority instructed them to leave their ignition keys in their cars.

Passenger David Crane said: "I'd brought my wife here for a romantic Valentine's weekend, but it's been anything but.

"Sunday was a disaster, and I was supposed to be going to London this morning. I don't know when we'll get back home."

Tony Tucker, of Dartmouth Higher Ferry, said: "It's a very narrow stretch of water, not particularly deep, and the vessel has got anchors, etc, so it was never going to drift off to France or anything like that.

"But I can imagine somebody's concern that it was perhaps quite frightening."

The ferry company hopes to be back in service on Monday afternoon after it has recovered the cables from the river bed.

Divers had to search the riverbed to locate the broken cables on Monday.