More buses to serve hospital after location issues

There has been "a real issue" with the location of a diagnostic centre in Grays, according to a councillor

Buses will now serve a community hospital on Sundays after criticism about its location.

Thurrock Council said passengers would be able to get to the diagnostic centre in Grays, Essex, on weekends in due course.

Labour councillor Mark Hooper said access had been "a real issue" since the site in Long Lane opened in September.

It came as the council was awarded almost £2m by the Department for Transport to improve its bus services.

The new service will run from before 07:00 and has also been part-funded by the NHS.

John Kent, a Labour councillor responsible for sustainability, art, culture and heritage, welcomed the move, saying the centre "wasn't in the best place".

"This improvement is welcome and shows the importance of linking transport planning with healthcare access," he added.

Funding was awarded as part of the government's bus service improvement plan grant, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Labour-led Thurrock Council received £1,954,465 and said the funding would create a "long-term legacy of improved and more attractive bus travel".

Improvements would begin rolling out imminently, the council added.