by Nicola Jordan

A road accident and staff sickness at the new Waterfront Bus Station crippled Chatham town centre, leaving shoppers stranded for several hours.

A two-vehicle pile-up involving a police car on Saturday afternoon closed the busy Best Street junction for three hours, causing serious congestion and severe late running of buses.

Further chaos ensued when an Arriva inspector, who would normally have been overseeing routes at the terminal, had to step in when a driver went sick to avoid the service being cancelled.

A driver, who did not wish to be named, told the Messenger; "It was utter chaos. Some buses had got stuck in the traffic and were queueing up behind each other unable to move. In the bus station there were buses at virtually every bay and there were drivers just waiting around for someone to tell them which buses to take where. But there did not seem to have been anyone on duty because the inspector had taken a bus out.

"I felt sorry for the passengers. They could see all those empty buses not going anywhere and they could look across and see all the drivers not doing anything and not knowing what to do or where to go. There was nobody to put the two together."

The accident involving the patrol car and white Skoda at the junction of Clover Street happened just before noon. The male police driver and Skoda driver suffered minor cuts and were treated by paramedics at the scene.

Were you stuck in the traffic or stranded at the bus station on Saturday? Leave your comments below or call the newsroom on 01634 227803.

Picture by Patrick Burgess