(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
Bishop Auckland's bus station is still 'open for business' despite defects forcing three of its parking bays to close, less than six months after it was completed.
A 'defect' with the road surface at the Saddler Street station saw the bays shut off, Durham County Council said.
Two bays have reopened, although an investigation shows work is still needed.
Rachael Smith, the council’s section manager for transport and infrastructure, said: “Works will take place to repair the affected area and ensure that it is structurally sound, as soon as we are able.
“The station remains very much open for business, and we are doing everything we can to make sure there is as little disruption as possible for residents and visitors.
It comes a month after a pothole was discovered in the road at the site. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
"We’d like to thank them for their patience and understanding while works are completed.”
The bus station only opened in May after an £11.8m investment.
The latest closures follow concerns raised in September when a pothole appeared at the new station just months after it welcomed its first passengers.
At the time, the council said inspections by external contractors had found the material used for the road was “more than adequate” for heavy vehicles.
The station opened in May after an £11.8m investment. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
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Further investigations were launched to establish what had caused the surface to fail.
The council also said the building remained under a construction warranty, meaning the cost of repairing defects would fall to the contractor responsible.
The bus station was built as part of wider regeneration plans for Bishop Auckland town centre, with funding from the government’s Future High Streets Fund.