Chester bus station is fast becoming the city’s very own ‘Area 51’ where strange occurrences see bus shelters disappear and reappear overnight.
Last month The Chronicle reported on a midnight ‘raid’ after Essex-based supplier Shelter Store sent workmen on a 400-mile round trip to take back bus shelters due to a financial dispute with the council.
Now new contractors Trueform are installing two second-hand bus shelters to replace the pair that disappeared in the dead of night.
The only problem is the shelters don’t match.
Shelter Store managing director Luckman Miah has told The Chronicle his company are the exclusive UK suppliers for the original bright yellow type, so there was no chance of getting an exact match.
When the shelters disappeared, Cheshire West and Chester Council reported the matter to police and hoped to provide CCTV footage of the dismantling operation.
But Cheshire Constabulary, which confirmed an allegation of theft was officially brought to their attention, said the council ‘has been advised it’s a civil matter’.
It has since emerged a mix-up between the council and Shelter Store originally saw the shelter entrances and exits fitted the wrong way, costing council taxpayers �10,800 to fix.
