A bus company has apologised after an injured 82-year-old woman was left bleeding at a bus stop.

Widow Irene Stocker was climbing on board a Stagecoach service at the Holmbush shopping centre, Shoreham, when she cut her leg on a step.

Mrs Stocker suffers from a heart condition and takes the drug warfarin which prevents blood from clotting.

As a consequence, her leg began to bleed profusely.

Mrs Stocker, of Wilmot Road, Shoreham, said despite her obvious injury, the driver asked her to get off the bus.

Mrs Stocker's son Robert said: "When she knocked her leg against the step, it split her skin open and the blood just gushed out.

But the driver told her to get off the bus.

Luckily she had a neighbour with her who helped her into Tesco where the staff gave her first aid and called an ambulance.

"She ended up in Worthing Hospital, shaken up and tearful.

"But most of all it was the attitude of the driver that shocked her."

Mr Stocker said despite her age and heart murmur, his mother was active and steady on her feet.

He said: "There used to be easy-access buses on the number 9 route so she didn't have any steps to climb but Stagecoach did away with them earlier this year.

"It was the step that caused the problem.

"A lot of elderly people use this service - Holmbush has become their local shops. They need the easy-access buses."

Andrew Dyer, managing director for Stagecoach Coastline, offered profuse apologies to Mrs Stocker for the incident which happened on Thursday.

He said: "We have interviewed the driver concerned and it is quite clear that he did not follow company procedure.

"In such circumstances we would expect our staff to help as much as they possibly could, particularly elderly people, and show compassion.

"If someone injures themselves seriously, drivers would normally call for medical assistance and not leave the site until that arrives.

"Although the cause of the injury was not our fault, Mrs Stocker did not get the support she deserved."

He said the company would be speaking to Mrs Stocker and her son to apologise.

Mr Dyer said the number 9 bus route had been combined with the number 5 route to improve cross- town services but low-floor, easy-access buses were no longer available on the new service.

"There are no immediate plans to reintroduce the low floor buses as we do not have enough to cover every route."