BUS passengers had to be let off a mile from home after a double-parked car blocked the road into their village.

Shoppers Naomi Bennett, Mary Hynes and Janet Emery were among 15 passengers on First Bus’s Rowhedge-bound Number 66 service when it was forced to end its journey at Old Heath.

The bus driver turned around in Old Heath at 1pm after being told Rowhedge Road was blocked and the bus could not get though.

The double-parked car make it impossible for larger vehicles – including emergency vehicles to get through.

Passengers were dropped off near Speedwell Road, off Old Heath Road and Fingringhoe Road.

Mrs Hynes, 72, said: “They made it sound like a bomb had gone off, but it was two cars parked in the road, for goodness sake!”

Mrs Hynes said she tried to reason with the driver and asked him to find out how long the road would be blocked or if he could take a different route, but he was unable to contact his supervisor.

She added: “We were dumped out – left high and dry. Honestly, it was like something you would see at the Mercury Theatre.”

Mrs Bennett, also 72, said: “We were flabbergasted. You go into town to do your shopping and you don’t expect someone to say ‘we aren’t going to be able to get you home’.”

Mrs Emery, 68, said being ordered to get off the bus had been “disrespectful and insulting”.

A man who had seen the incident unfold outside offered to run the trio home.

The double-parked car practically brought the village to a standstill.

It coincided with the arrival of hundreds of people for the Rowhedge Juniors Youth Tournament, a sporting event on the recreation ground, from 9am until 3pm, involving more than 40 teams.

Organisers told the Gazette parking in the village was monitored by stewards and referred to “one or two idiots”who had blocked the road.

They added they planned to put a note in local bus stops apologising for the inconvenience.

A First Bus spokesman said: “We work closely with event organisers and Colchester Council to ensure situations like this are avoided and our passengers are notified well in advance of any disruptions.

“Unfortunately, the sheer volume of traffic attending this event could not have been foreseen.

“We would like to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused.”