Bus station undergoing repairs weeks after opening

The issues are set to be resolved next week

A newly-built bus station is going through repairs just weeks after opening to the public.

Access doors and toilet payment machines at Durham Bus Station have been unavailable, resulting in "minor works" being carried out at the site.

Durham County Council said the issues were due to the “scale and complexity of the project”, and added that it was working quickly to fix them.

The bus station, which cost £10.4m and took several years to complete, was officially opened on 7 January.

Wi-Fi connectivity

Scaffolding was recently put up outside the front to repair one of the damaged roller shutters, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It is due to be fixed later this week and visitors can use alternative doors elsewhere in the station.

Access to toilets has been possible but visitors have not been able to pay to use the facilities at times due to Wi-Fi connectivity.

The issue is due to be resolved next week, the council added.

Paul Burr, the council’s building and facilities maintenance manager, said the station had served approximately 360,000 passengers and there had been "positive feedback".

“Some minor works have been or are required at the bus station during its early weeks of operation, simply as a result of the scale and complexity of the project," Mr Burr said.

“However we have worked quickly to address these on each occasion, to minimise any impact on people using the station.”

The new structure was built to replace a building on the same site, which was built in 1970 but demolished after being deemed no longer fit for purpose.