Cleveleys bus station safety concerns

Columns helping to support the roof of the station have been painted over despite the majority of them suffering damage from rust.

The structure of the building also appears to have deteriorated with large cracks in the brickwork and plaster.

The station, which is owned by Wyre Council, is in the centre of the town and is the resort’s main bus depot.

Business owner Paul Riches, 50, got in contact with the council after noticing the condition of the poles recently.

Paul, who owns Taste Cafe on the Promenade, thinks the whole station needs replacing.

He said: “There was torrential rain a few weeks ago and a lot of people were standing under it, including a group of young school children and it worries me how strong it actually is.

“If someone was to give it a kick or perhaps a mobility scooter drove into it, it could possibly collapse.

“The council is meant to be putting new signs up at the station soon, but the money would be better saved and spent on a replacement station, which is long overdue in my opinion.

After Paul contacted the council last month about his safety concerns, Keely Jones, the building surveyor for Wyre Council, responded and admitted the station needs to be investigated.

She said: “I confirm that our building control officer visited the site and having spoken with him he advises the building does have defects, requires remedial works and the commission of a structural survey is highly recommended, but he advised the bus station is not in danger of collapse any time soon, hence they did not close it down under the Building Act.”

A structural survey was completed and a spokesman for Wyre Council said: “A structural engineer’s report was commissioned last week and found no need to take immediate action, apart from on localised repairs.

“It is a load-sharing structure, so the nature of the design does not pose a danger of collapsing, even if one column were to be taken away.

“The last time the structure had renovation work was October 2012.”