'Pothole' emerges at new £12m bus station
BBCA "pothole" has appeared at a new bus station three months after the £12m facility opened.
Bishop Auckland bus station on Saddler Street took more than two years to build and opened in May following delays.
Labour MP Sam Rushworth said "serious questions" had to be asked about how the project had been delivered if a "pothole" had already appeared.
Rachael Smith, manager for transport and infrastructure, at Reform UK-run Durham County Council said they were aware of the defect and investigations were taking place to find the source of the fault.
Bishop Auckland independent councillor Lyndsey Fox said the bus station was a fantastic addition to the town and the sinking surface can be dealt with.
"Underneath the station there were a lot of things not on the maps, workers found an electric cable and basements under the area," she said.
"The team are doing their best but it is disappointing that we have these flaws at the bus station."
Rushworth said the cost of the project had been "eye-watering" and called for more financial accountability on significant council-funded projects.
He said: "It is unacceptable that you can spend £12 million on a new bus station and have potholes appearing already.
"Serious questions need to be asked about how a project of this scale has been delivered and why a quality job has not been achieved."
The MP said he was writing to the council to ask for the pothole to be investigated and fixed immediately.
A spokesperson for nearby cricket shop Lorimers said businesses had suffered while work was ongoing to build the station.
"A lot of people feel it served its purpose the way it was before," they said.
"It didn't need shutting for that long and the state of it now is not ideal."
Smith said: "Following initial inspections by external contractors, we were informed that the material used for the road was more than adequate to withstand the heavy use it would see.
"Further investigations are, therefore, now taking place."
