A pensioner missed her bus when faulty automatic doors at Southend's new bus station failed to open.

Vivian Pontiggia, 75, of Langdon Road, Rayleigh, was waiting inside the glass-fronted station, near the sliding doors.

The doors are meant to open automatically, when a bus arrives, but in the past, passengers also had buttons to press to open them.

However, when Mrs Pontiggia's bus rolled up, not only did the doors not open but Mrs Pontiggia discovered the button had been removed.

She said: "The only door which would open was at the other end of the bus station. By the time I got there, the bus had gone."

The button was removed because it had broken through over-use.

Councillor David Garston said new doors were now on order and the cost should be covered under the guarantee.

David Garston, the councillor in charge, said he knew there was a problem with the doors.

"It's partly manufacturing problems and partly the way people have been handling the doors," he said.

He said the doors had been designed to open when a bus pulled up with the button in case of emergencies.

But he blamed passengers who used the button unnecessarily or pushed the doors for the problem which he described as "teething troubles".

He added: "We are well aware of the situation and the officers are dealing with it as a matter of urgency."

Mr Garston said new doors are on order but he had not authorised any extra spending because they are still under guarantee.