An Ipswich charity worker has blasted the new Tower Ramparts bus station, labelling it an “ice rink” after claiming his girlfriend slipped over and badly injured herself.

Jason King, 32, fears the newly-refurbished bus depot is a safety hazard that is particularly dangerous for elderly people after his partner Serena McCarry, 19, fell and bruised her knee at the town centre site.

Suffolk County Council (SCC), which oversaw the recent renovation of the station, has instructed the contractor responsible to address the issue as a matter of urgency, adding warning signs have now been put up.

Mr King, a volunteer at Age UK Suffolk, said his girlfriend’s knee turned black with severe bruising after falling on a slippery walking path across the road in between bus stops on Saturday. The station closed in September as part of SCC’s £21million Travel Ipswich project and reopened on November 16.

Mr King, of Canterbury Close, said: “It’s like an ice rink. There could be a serious accident. It’s a safety hazard and especially dangerous to old people who will be more vulnerable to the slippery surface, which is my main concern.

“They should have made it much more safe, and done a better job with the surface work, especially after all the money they spent on it. It is not good enough.”

It comes after motorcyclist Paul Cummings criticised the bus station after suffering injuries in a similar fall last month.

A SCC spokesman declined to confirm how much money was spent on the Tower Ramparts refurbishment works as part of the £21m Travel Ipswich project.

However it is understood that the authority submitted £1.5m of expected costs to the Department of Transport and did not exceed that amount.

In a statement, the spokesman said: ”We are aware of some issues with the road surface on the bus lanes at Tower Ramparts bus station, and have instructed the contractor responsible to address the issue as a matter of urgency at no extra cost to the council.

“In the meantime, we have commissioned signs to warn those using the area and will continue to monitor the situation.”