Bromsgrove's bus shelters branded 'total mess'

People have described Bromsgrove's bus shelters as being in a "sad" state

Passengers have called for improvements to be made to a town's bus shelters which have been described as a "total mess".

Bus users in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, complained the shelters were in a "sad" state.

Concerns include missing glass panels and a lack of timetable information.

Worcestershire County Council said the issue was a priority for its staff and would be part of its bus service improvement plan.

Speaking to BBC Hereford and Worcester, bus user Valerie, who was travelling to Redditch, said: "I think the bus stops are a total mess in Bromsgrove.

"They're sad. They should be more inviting so people can relax, especially if they've got a long journey."

June, who was heading home to Redditch, echoed Valerie's concerns about the lack of information and said work needed to be done to the seats at the shelters to "make sure they are safe".

A number of bus stops across the town were missing glass panels, including on Birmingham Road and Worcester Road.

A shelter on Stourbridge Road was hit by a van earlier this year and Bromsgrove councillor Josh Robinson said it was left with police tape wrapped around it for more than two months.

Worcestershire County Council said the improvement of the shelters was a priority

Mr Robinson said he had been calling for improvements to be made.

"There are many reasons why people don't use the buses across the country but we can't expect people to use bus shelters like this," he said.

The responsibility for the shelters was split between the county council, Bromsgrove District Council and parish councils.

Bromsgrove District Council allocated £54,000 for bus shelter improvements in 2020 and recently chose a contractor to begin work in January.

Worcestershire county councillor Mike Rouse said the issue would be addressed in its improvement plan.

He added the authority recently received £3.4m from the government's reallocation of funds after the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2 was scrapped.

"Bus shelters are of course a concern and I understand and appreciate the concern that people have," he said.