AN Ingol pensioner is calling on county council chiefs to U-turn several bus shelters which, he claims, have been installed the wrong way round.

Chris Cornwell, 78, of Dovedale Court, Whitby Avenue, Preston, says many elderly people -- who rely on public transport -- get soaked during spells of heavy rain while waiting for buses on the Ingol Quality Route, which serves residents in the Tanterton and Ingol areas.

Chris, who suffers from bronchitis, says some of the clear canopy-style shelters -- which open on to the roadside -- fail to give bus users proper protection from the wind and rain.

He said: "These shelters are very popular for older people because they are on the route of many shelter accommodation places. "When people stand at the shelter the rain gets thrown up and they get wet. There's also a prevailing west wind which the shelters provide no cover from because of the way they are positioned."

Now residents have lodged complaints with county councillor Bill Chadwick in a bid to get the shelters reversed.

The Liberal county councillor says Lancashire transport chiefs are considering to alter 'nine non-advertising shelters' which are causing concern to the public.

Now he is planning to draw up a 'shopping list' of problem sites. He said: "This is a tremendous piece of customer care by the county council who have clearly indicated they are prepared to take all reasonable steps to address as many of these problems as is possible."

A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council said then bus shelters along the route have been sited with bus and road users in mind.

He said: "The safety of road users and pedestrians is paramount and should not be compromised. We therefore ensure that the vision of motorists turning out on to roads is not obscured by bus shelters.

"We do of course listen to the concerns of local people and will investigate where concerns are raised about specific sites."