Escalator fault led to crowding

Shepherds Bush station is one of many near the shopping centre

A "defective escalator" caused overcrowding which forced the closure of a Tube station near a new shopping centre, Transport for London said.

Shepherds Bush station on the Central Line was shut for two hours on Saturday as shoppers headed for the Westfield centre in White City, west London.

Transport for London (TfL) also advised shoppers to use other Tube and railway stations near the centre.

Westfield said about 100,000 people were expected to visit on Saturday.

The station was closed on police advice as a "safety measure" to tackle overcrowding as shoppers headed for the complex on the first weekend since its opening.

Slow traffic

On Saturday there were queues and slow moving traffic on roads leading to the shopping centre from the Shepherds Bush area, Wood Lane, Uxbridge Road and Holland Road, BBC London travel reporters said.

A TfL spokeswoman said: "Shepherd's Bush station on the Central Line was closed from 1533 GMT to 1715 GMT due to overcrowding caused by a defective escalator.

Westfield was expecting 100,000 people to visit on Saturday

"Customers are reminded that there are many other public transport options for the new Westfield shopping centre such as the refurbished White City Tube station, the new Wood Lane Tube station and the new Overground station at Shepherd's Bush."

The �1.7bn Westfield Shopping Centre is spread over 1.6m sq ft (150,000 sq m), the size of 30 football pitches, and houses 265 shops, including 40 luxury brands, and 50 restaurants.

The shopping centre has 4,500 parking spaces and �200m has been invested towards overhauling public transport by the centre and TfL so that 60% of shoppers use it, a Westfield spokesman said.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has said it is looking to bring new parking controls on streets near the shopping centre to prevent them from becoming a "Westfield car park".

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