Malmesbury bus users have been left out in the cold after the bus shelter opposite Somerfield was removed and not replaced.

The busy bus stop, used by shoppers at the town’s main supermarket, is now exposed to the elements leaving users of public transport to brave the recent cold snap.

The shelter was owned and maintained by private company Clear Channel who removed the shelter but didn’t notify the Town Council.

The Wiltshire County Council knew of the planned removal in November 2008 but also didn’t inform the Town Council until it was asked directly what had happened.

Town councillor Martyn Snell, who lives on Gloucester Road, said the situation was unacceptable.

He said: “I’m absolutely brassed off with it, there are people standing out there in all sorts of winds and weathers.

“Elderly people from the west of the town use the bus stop to do their shopping.

“People have been asking me why it’s gone and I’ve not been able to give them answer.”

He added that the miscue could undermine efforts to promote public transport.

““It’s probably the most important bus stop in the town.

“After all the hard work that has been put in to promote public transport it is now undermined by a blunder like this.

“If someone had told the Town Council that the shelter was going to be removed then maybe we could have done something about it.”

Eric Egar, of Wiltshire County Council’s passenger transport unit, said Clear Channel was asked to leave the shelter, and eight others around Wiltshire, in place.

He said: “It is unfortunate that they decided to take them out in the middle of winter.

“We asked them to leave them but by then they were already taking them out.

“Clear Channel reviewed their health and safety policy and decided to remove them as the shelters were over 20 years old.

“They are not going to replace them as the agreements they had with local councils have now expired.”

Mr Egar said nothing could be done until the next financial year.

He said: “There isn’t anything that can be done on a temporary basis.

“All the money for bus shelters from this year’s budget has been spent.

“We will replace them with our standard bus shelters but nothing can be done until later in the year.”

He added: “We do what we can to notify people of changes like these.

“Hopefully the new unitary authority will speed up channels of communication.”