Passenger groups hope to petition transport chiefs for a regular bus route from Witham to Stansted Airport.

Overhead wire problems on the London to Stansted rail line on Friday caused Greater Anglia to introduce a replacement bus service between Stansted and Witham rail station.

It has sparked hopes that such a route could become a regular feature on the bus timetable.

David Bigg, chairman of the Witham and Braintree Rail Users’ Association, said: “We are going to ask if they would consider a permanent future, given there are already links to Stansted from Colchester, Chelmsford and Braintree.

“They obviously think there is sufficient capacity in an emergency, so I think it is a runner.”