Southend's long-awaited hi-tech bus station will only have room for five vehicles at a time making it smaller than the one the town has now.

Work on the £1.6million first phase of the station, which is being branded a 'travel centre' is due to start in November and be completed by 2006.

But only five buses will fit inside it at one time with the rest having to use temporary stops along Chichester Road to take up the overflow.

Southend's cabinet member for transport, Brian Kelly said it was expected that the Government would release the rest of the money needed to build a second phase of the bus station next year.

But he said that would only go-ahead when the impact of the first one had been fully assessed by the council.