Councils are being forced to hand out temporary bus passes after delays continued to plague the new system.

On April 1 the national scheme came into force giving free travel on buses to the over- 60s.

After initial delays left thousands of people without passes, bus companies told pensioners their expired passes would still be accepted until the end of April.

However, that left many people who only turned 60 on or after April 1 with no pass and no chance of free travel.

Barry Freedman, aged 60, of Valley Road, Portslade, was unluckier than most. He was born on April 1 and despite applying for his pass ahead of his birthday, was left waiting.

Mr Freedman, a freelance book publisher, said he was especially upset after reading about one pass holder, 61-year-old Richard Elloway, who became the first person to travel for free from Land's End to John o'Groats using his bus pass.

After speaking with Bob Carden, his Brighton and Hove city councillor, Mr Freedman took matters into his own hands and went to the council's offices in Bartholomew Square to complain.

He said: "First of all they said it would be a few days and then a couple of weeks.

"Other people in the queue were talking about it taking months to get their passes.

Nobody seemed to know what was happening."

Mr Freedman said after revealing he had spoken with Councillor Carden, who had called ahead to the offices to request a temporary pass was issued, he was handed a pass.

He said: "It's a real mess.

They still have no idea when my real bus pass will arrive but thanks to Mr Carden I can at least travel free on the buses as I am entitled to do.

"I just hope that other people in the same position know that they can get a temporary pass too."

The initial delays came because Euclid, he company producing the passes in Sussex, ran into difficulties with suppliers.

Managing director Geoff Neal said: "Our team has consequently worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sadly our sub-contractors for the fulfilment exercise - matching passes to letters and inserting these into envelopes - was unable to perform in a like manner."

Coun Carden, whose own pass was late arriving, said he was pleased to be able to help a constituent.

He said: "I would do the same for anyone in my constituency who needed help on this or any other issue.

"Mr Freedman is lucky that the Labour Government has granted bus passes to people below the retirement age." He advised anyone needing a temporary pass to take identification along to the relevant council offices.

Coun Ann Norman, the chairwoman of the finance sub-committee, said: "We are working really hard to make sure that everyone gets their bus passes this year.

"We issue bus passes to more than 45,000 of our citizens and we estimate the current problems are affecting less than 50 people.

"For these we are seeking to make alternative arrangements as they approach us."

A spokeswoman for Worthing Borough Council said: "The majority of Worthing residents have now got their passes.

"We have issued 22 temporary passes but have since had 12 returned by people whose new passes had arrived."

A spokeswoman for Adur District Council said it had handed handed out seven temporary passes.