One of the county's biggest bus firms has appointed a new managing director for the region.

Stagecoach has confirmed Joel Mitchell will be its new MD of its bus operations in Kent and East Sussex.

Currently delivery director for train operator c2c, he will take on the role in the spring.

He will replace Philip Norwell who revealed in March he was leaving the business after 43 years in the industry.

The company has been managed by regional UK bus director Mike Watson in the interim.

Mark Threapleton, Stagecoach UK bus MD for England and Wales, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Joel to Stagecoach – he has significant experience within the transport industry, over many years, having worked on Stagecoach rail franchises in the past, and we look forward to benefitting from his knowledge and expertise as we continue to develop and improve services for our customers in the south east of England.”

Mr Mitchell began his transport career with South West Trains in 1999 and undertook a wide range of customer service and operational roles in an 11-year period before joining Southern Railway in 2010 as head of performance.

He then returned to South West Trains as head of performance before joining First Hull Trains in 2015 as director of operations and customer experience.

In March 2017 he was appointed delivery director with train operator c2c.

He said: "This is an exciting new challenge for me and I am really looking forward to working with the team in the south east. I live locally so I know it’s a fantastic area with a great bus network and I look forward to building on the work that has already been done, along with our partners, to deliver even better services for our customers.”

Stagecoach is this year marking its 25th anniversary.