Councillors start petition to save scrapped village bus services

"This service will contribute to people in rural areas like Nailstone feeling isolated."

Local councillors have launched a petition to save threatened local bus services.

Arriva has announced plans that from the 17th of April, 'Nailstone will no longer be served by the 153' and the 'current limited off-peak service to Carlton and Barton-in-the-Beans will no longer operate.'

This is the only bus service for residents in Barton in the Beans and Carlton and the only service to Leicester from Nailstone.

Liberal Democrat Councillor for Nailstone, Bill Crooks, said: “This service is the only bus service that connects Nailstone to Leicester. Not everybody in rural areas drives so stopping this service will contribute to people in rural areas like Nailstone feeling isolated.”

On the Arriva website, it says the decision has been made 'as the number of customers travelling on some parts of the route just aren't enough for it to be financially viable.'

However, councillors are calling for the company to drop their plans.

Leader of Leicestershire Liberal Democrat Councillors, Michael Mullaney, said: “This is part of a wider picture of bus services being cut across Leicestershire and the rest of the country. 

“At a time when fuel prices are rocketing and at a time when we are trying to protect the environment we should be making it easier for people to get to places by bus not removing services.”

The petition is available on the Hinckley & Bosworth Liberal Democrats website.