ELLESMERE Port and Neston MP Justin Madders has been working with local groups to call for two local bus services to be reinstated.

Bus users in Ellesmere Port and Neston were dealt a blow when they learned of plans by operator Aintree Coaches to withdraw the 272 service between the two towns, as well as the number 7 service connecting Overpool and parts of Great Sutton to Ellesmere Port town centre.

Petitions have been set up against the changes. Mr Madders is also seeking an urgent meeting with the operator and will ask them to reconsider their "hasty" decision.

The 272 service linked Ellesmere Port and Neston, via Hooton station and it is believed the closure of the service would affect college students and commuters travelling to Liverpool or Ellesmere Port for work. Older people who travel between the dispersed communities of Hooton, Willaston, Childer Thornton, Little Sutton and the leisure and retail opportunities in Ellesmere Port would also be impacted.

Meanwhile, the withdrawal of the number 7 would leave older people isolated.

Mr Madders said: "Aintree Coaches have benefited from loyal customers using these routes for years, so it is deeply concerning that they have decided to unilaterally withdraw the services without any consultation.

"As the local Member of Parliament, the first I heard was when I resident told me they had been informed by a bus driver – this is completely unacceptable.

"These services provide a lifeline to the communities that they serve and terminating them in this way will cause people to lose their jobs, their training and their access to vital services.

"This decision has been made in an unduly hasty way, so I am calling on the operator to urgently think again and look at whether anything can be done to improve viability and save the routes. I hope that people will join with me in demonstrating their opposition to these proposals."