A poorly passenger left stranded in the driving rain in Maidstone for close to two hours due to defective buses is demanding improvements to the service.

Arriva's number 12 to Tenterden had been due to arrive in the High Street at 4.13pm today.

A second was expected at 5pm, but commuters were reportedly told it had the wrong type of lights to make the rural journey.

It wasn't until just before 6pm when a replacement arrived.

Bus user Jasmine Maddock said the route had been unreliable for several months.

The 44-year-old, of Hurst Road, Tenterden, suffers from fibromyalgia, a condition which causes pain all over the body, and endometriosis, meaning she frequently needs to travel to Maidstone for hospital appointments.

She said: "I have a lot of health problems so it doesn't help to spend time standing in the freezing cold, shivering.

"It is not acceptable and it has been going on too long.

"I must have spent £400 to £500 over the last couple of months on taxis to get to hospital appointments because buses haven't turned up or have been late.

"It's been an absolute nightmare. Something needs to be done."

An Arriva spokeswoman said: “The 4.13pm Arriva service left Maidstone High Street on time but unfortunately the vehicle experienced a defect with its doors.

"Our fitters attended and fixed the issue but this did result in a delay. The 5pm service also experienced a delay due to a headlight fault.

"We were not able to replace the vehicle until a spare one came in, which was delayed due to the traffic congestion issues in Maidstone caused by roadworks and a broken down lorry on the one way system.

"We would like to sincerely apologise to passengers for this inconvenience.”