There are fears that Blackburn's new £5m bus station could be subsiding after a large crack appeared in its floor.

The appearance of the large crack, along with damage to a glass door, has raised fears that the structure may be subsiding and could become unsafe. The Council have ordered an investigation.

The River Blakewater runs in a culvert near the bus station and, if it is subsidence, then it is likely that its proximity may prove to be the cause.

Councillor Derek Hardman said "The Council will need to undertake a full structural survey as soon as possible. We then expect a full explanation of any problems".

Deputy Chair of Blackburn Conservatives Mark Russell said "I really hope these fears are unfounded and that the bus station doesn't turn out to be subsiding. It only opened in 2016 and could be very expensive to fix. Labour are already wasting millions of pounds of taxpayer money on an unnecessary new cinema so the Council does not have much money to spare".

The bus station was described when it opened in 2016 as "the Harrods of bus stations" by the construction firm that built it, a claim which was trumpeted at the time by Labour's regeneration chief Cllr Phil Riley.

If the bus station is found to be subsiding then Blackburn Conservatives will seek assurances over the structural integrity of the Cathedral Quarter development, which the River Blakewater also runs under.