Help at hand

Nottinghamshire County Council and Stagecoach will provide bus stewards to help passengers find the right stops in the week following the closure of Newark Bus Station.

A council spokesman said similar assistance worked well for previous bus station projects in Retford and Sutton-in-Ashfield. They said there were no additional costs.

The council will provide leaflets, including maps, on buses and at the bus station Travel Shop, other outlets in and around Newark, on the council’s website and via its customer services number, 08449 808080.

Maps showing new stopping arrangements will be posted at all affected bus stops.

Newark and Sherwood District Council has offered the use of the counter of the old café in the Reading Room at The Gilstrap Centre, Castlegate, as a temporary travel centre while the bus station is closed.

Passengers can wait there for buses and it will provide a base for a travel adviser, timetables and route information.

The Reading Room will still be available for exhibitions.

The county council is providing £275,000 towards building and fitting out the new bus station, and will operate it when it opens.

See today's Advertiser for further reaction to the bus station plans.