Faster cruisers for Saga

OVER-50s specialist holiday firm Saga has brought forward the launch of a new cruise ship due to surging demand.

The business is replacing its two vessels to offer a more modern service – with the first new ship, Spirit Of Discovery, due to arrive in June 2019 at a cost of around £300m.

Demand for its maiden voyage around the British Isles has proved so high that the company is bringing forward the delivery date of the second new liner, Spirit Of Adventure, by about a year to August 2020. The news came as the firm unveiled profits of £110.2m for the six months to July 31, up 5.5pc on a year earlier.

The interim dividend was hiked by 11pc to 3p per share, a decision likely to be welcomed by the 180,000 ordinary savers who own 10pc of Saga’s stock.

Boss Lance Batchelor said: ‘These results continue to demonstrate that Saga is growing, has good momentum and is on track to deliver in line with expectations for the full year.’