Chorley bus station remains closed after staff member is advised to self-isolate with coronavirus symptoms

Chorley bus station remains closed today (Tuesday, March 17) after a member of staff became ill with coronavirus symptoms.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The Interchange in Clifford Street was forced to close on Sunday morning (March 15) after the station supervisor followed advice from NHS 111 to self-isolate.

Lancashire County Council, who own and operate the station, said it will strive to re-open the station as soon as it can.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Unfortunately we haven't been able to open the internal concourse today (Tuesday, March 17)", said a Council spokesman.

"At the moment all we can say is that we're working to be able to reopen it as soon as we can."

Yesterday, the Council confirmed that the decision to close was made after the station supervisor reported feeling unwell at the weekend.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "We had to close the internal concourse on Sunday morning due to a staffing shortage related to advice issued via the NHS 111 service regarding suspected Coronavirus symptoms.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"However, passengers and bus companies are still able to use Chorley Interchange.

Chorley Interchange has been closed for three days since a staff member reported feeling unwell with symptoms of coronavirus. Pic: GoogleChorley Interchange has been closed for three days since a staff member reported feeling unwell with symptoms of coronavirus. Pic: Google
Chorley Interchange has been closed for three days since a staff member reported feeling unwell with symptoms of coronavirus. Pic: Google

"We have staff on site for security and to direct passengers, and are working to reopen the internal concourse as soon as we can."

Lancashire County Council had initially said the closure was due to it not being able to find a replacement for the supervisor, but did not give a reason for the staff absence.

But the Council confirmed to the Post yesterday that the staff shortage is related to a suspected case of coronavirus.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The NHS 111 service advises anyone with suspected symptoms to isolate at home for 7 days.

There are currently three confirmed cases of coronavirus in Chorley, according to Public Health England.

But it said testing for coronavirus is not needed for people self-isolating at home, meaning the exact number of people infected with COVID-19 is currently unknown.

The Council has not provided an update on the status of the staff member.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Cleaning staff were on-site yesterday to clean the internal concourse, which remains closed to the public.

A full bus service remains in operation at the station, with passengers asked to use the side gates to access buses.

Stagecoach tweeted: "Due to no council bus station supervisor, the bus station at Chorley is closed.

"All our buses are running as normal and dropping off at Chorley, but passengers when entering/alighting the bus must use the side gates."

Services are still calling at the station, but passengers must use the side gates and are unable to access the internal concourse.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.