THE axing of a popular bus route through Whitchurch this week sparked a furious reaction from village residents.

The 84 service between Tavistock and Plymouth, run by First buses, originally ran through Whitchurch, rejoining the main A386 via Anderton Lane.

But a new timetable which started this week means Whitchurch has lost its 84 bus ? forcing residents either to walk or drive to Tavistock to catch a direct bus to Plymouth.

There is a new 84 service between Tavistock and Horrabridge ? but the bus stops in Horrabridge village, so travellers making a connection face a sprint up or down the steep hill to the main road bus stop to catch the bus to Plymouth.

Whitchurch resident Sheila Jones said she was shocked at the removal of the service ? and at the lack of consultation.

?A lot of people are going to be affected by this in Whitchurch, particularly the elderly and retired. People aren?t going to be able to get to Plymouth or to Derriford to the hospital; we?re going to be absolutely stuck.

?They are trying to persuade people to use public transport, then they do this, it?s ridiculous.?

Margaret Perks, of Whitchurch, said she felt many residents in the area would be ?very worried? by the timetable change.

She said: ?People who use the buses are often the young, who can?t drive, and elderly people who don?t drive and very often can?t walk very far to bus stops either. People did use the 84 and now it?s going to be very difficult for them.?

Mrs Perks was also concerned that Whitchurch now had no bus service at all on Sundays or bank holidays.

West Devon and Torridge MP John Burnett, who lives in Whitchurch, said: ?I have had a number of complaints and representations and I am taking this matter up with the county council and First.

?Efficient, well-timed public transport is vital for people in rural areas and towns, especially the elderly and young, who often have no other means of travel.?

Tavistock?s county councillor Roy Connelly said: ?I have great concerns that this has happened, and with little or no consultation. It really will affect people?s ability to access different areas.?

Tavistock town and borough Cllr Ted Sherrell said he had received many irate phone calls on the issue: ?I am angry and despairing over yet another erosion of the public transport services in Tavistock and West Devon.

?The axing of the 84 will cause much inconvenience ? even hardship ? to many folk of all ages who rely on the service for work, hospital visits, shopping and so forth.?

He called on First to restore the 84 service through Whitchurch ?as a matter of urgency?.

Stuart Render, spokesman for First, said the company was trying to ?simplify? the Plymouth-Tavistock route.

He said bus drivers often encountered problems in Whitchurch due to parked cars, which had knock-on effects on service reliability.

He said First believed most people travelled on the main A386 route and the company had decided to concentrate on that service.

Mr Render said: ?We have to make sure all buses run to the timetable, so people in rural areas can reasonably expect their bus to turn up.

?If they are getting delayed, people will lose their confidence in the service and they won?t turn out to catch the bus.

?We have to deliver the best service we can for the most amount of people. If there are significant numbers of people in Whitchurch who use the bus to travel to Plymouth and this change does seriously inconvenience them, we would like to know about it.?

Anyone wishing to contact First about the axing of the 84 service through Whitchurch should write to Gerald Taylor, managing director, First, The Ride, Chelson Meadow, Plymouth PL9 7JT.