Bus station in town will be closed over this weekend

Morpeth Bus Station will be closed at the weekend so essential repairs and improvements can be carried out. Picture by Brad Slater.

It will be closed for essential works and improvements from 7pm tomorrow until 6am on Monday. There will be no passenger or bus access.

This allow the team at Sanderson Arcade, which owns the site, the time and space to carry out essential repairs to some areas of road surface that have become rutted where the buses stand.

During Friday night and Saturday morning, heavy road working equipment will be on site breaking out the existing surface and base. Local residents are also being notified about the one-off piece of work as it is likely to create some noise.

Contractors need 48 hours to complete the work and in order to minimise disruption to travellers, it has been agreed that it should be completed over a weekend.

Sanderson Arcade has worked with Northumberland County Council and local bus companies to establish alternative arrangements for bus services and their passengers in Morpeth town centre.

Six temporary bus stops will be created on Manchester Street and all local and National Express bus services will use them during the closure of the bus station.

There will be three stops on each side of Manchester Street. All southbound buses (i.e. buses travelling towards Blyth, Newcastle, Stannington and London) will use the stops on the north side of the street.

All northbound and local bus services (i.e. buses travelling towards Alnwick, Ashington, Berwick and Edinburgh as well as Lancaster Park and Thropton) will use the temporary stops on the south side.

To accommodate these arrangements, existing car parking and loading arrangements on Manchester Street will be suspended for the whole of this weekend.

Information about the closure and alternative arrangements is being posted on the doors of the bus station.

Each of the temporary bus stops will have details of which services depart from the stand.

An inspector from Arriva Northumbria will be present on Manchester Street on Saturday to help passengers and drivers. Staff from Sanderson Arcade will also be available to help passengers during the weekend closure.