VILLAGERS living in some of East Lancashire’s remote communities will be left even more isolated when a fresh wave of bus cuts kick in, according to a councillor.

Proposals have been drawn up by Lancashire County Council to make several changes to subsidised services after £93,000 was withdrawn by town hall chiefs in Blackburn with Darwen for ‘cross-border’ routes.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Several villages such as Brockhall and Salesbury will see their services reduced from hourly to two-hourly and certain communities, such as Green Haworth, near Accrington, will no longer have a regular bus service.

Protesters have claimed there has been a lack of public consultation ahead of the moves, which were confirmed as part of Blackburn with Darwen Council’s budget on April 1 and will come into effect from July 26.

Seven services are specifically mentioned, although only six will be directly affected.

The 25 Clitheroe-Whalley-Brockhall-Blackburn bus will be diverted to also serve Mellor, and revert from being hourly to two-hourly.

Plans to merge the 15 and 35 buses, which each run between Chipping and Blackburn, will affect residents in Wilpshire and Salesbury, with buses running to Mellor.

And the 14 and 14A route will be diverted so it no longer serves Green Haworth, Fern Gore and Broadfield, although there are alternatives for the latter two neighbourhoods.

The other principal change will be to the 24A service between Chorley Hospital and Blackburn, which will no longer serve Livesey Branch Road and Ewood. No changes are being made to the 6 and 7 buses, between Accrington and Blackburn via Rishton, Great Harwood and Clayton-le-Moors, ahead of Pennine Reach.

Cllr Ged Mirfin, who represents Billington and Old Langho ward for Ribble Valley Council, is particularly concerned about proposed changes to the 25 bus.

He said: “It will affect people who use this service for work and those who need to reach local centres like Blackburn, Clitheroe and Accrington. It will also lead to elderly people becoming more isolated in Brockhall Village.

“This feels like the thin end of the wedge and I’m also concerned about the lack of consultation.”

County transport officials say the changes may improve overall reliability.