Coach operator National Express is telling shoppers from Herne Bay they face journey times of up to six hours each way to Bluewater.

It has scrapped the direct service to the shopping centre 50 miles away and is advising its customers to take the coach into Victoria and then back to Bluewater – making a total of four trips in and out of central London.

The firm’s website gives the quickest journey as 4hr 20min. But another journey is shown as departing Herne Bay at 8.35am and arriving at Bluewater at 2.30pm for a price of £24.10.

Grandmother Pat Bavin, from Bishopstone Lane, spotted the extraordinary journey times and branded them “madness”.

The 68-year-old, who works at a hairdressing salon in Broomfield, said: “I couldn’t believe it when I first saw it.

“My grandson had used the coach to go there and I thought that sounded like a good idea because it meant I could have a glass of wine with lunch and not worry about driving.

“Then I saw this and it made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

"I saw this and it made absolutely no sense whatsoever..." - Pat Bavin

“They are suggesting journey times of up to six hours. You have to go into London and out again to get to Bluewater and then in and out to get back home.

“That’s four journeys to and from Victoria coach station, and as everyone knows it’s a nightmare into London once you get to Eltham. It’s madness.”

Mrs Bavin was so dumbfounded by the suggested journeys that she complained to National Express’s customer service department.

It responded by stating that as of Monday there would no longer be a direct service from Herne Bay to Bluewater. They suggested going to Victoria and changing.

National Express spokesman David Wrottesley said: “In order to best serve the needs of customers in Kent, the 022 service from Ramsgate to London Victoria has been reviewed.

“As a result, services from Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Margate have increased from four to seven times a day.

“Currently, however, on average just two people a day use the service to travel from Herne Bay to Bluewater and, due to declining passenger numbers, it will no longer stop there.

“While we appreciate is won’t be as convenient for people in Herne Bay, people can still travel from Canterbury to Bluewater six times a day and we are looking at options with our local bus partners to help ensure local areas remain well connected.”