P&O's Arcadia was eight hours delayed leaving Southampton - and this is why.

The cruise ship was set to depart from the city's docks at 5:30pm on Thursday night on a voyage around the Mediterranean including stops in Italy, Spain, Greece and Gibraltar. 

However, the cruise ship was still in port after that time passed - and did not depart the city until 1:30am today, (October 4). 

The cruise company has now explained why the ship eight hours late to leave for Malaga in Spain.

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A spokesperson for P&O has said that a 'minor technical issue' caused the delayed departure which resulted in the ship having to wait for the 'the next available departure window'.

Cruise ships leaving Southampton have to do so under strict rules, meaning if a departure window is missed it will have to wait for the next opportunity to sail.

Factors affecting available departure windows include the tide and departure times of other ships.