THE recent axing of the First bus service through Whitchurch received a unanimous thumbs down from Tavistock town councillors at their meeting last week.

The 84 service was stopped without warning at the end of May, forcing residents either to walk or take a taxi into Tavistock to catch the bus to Plymouth.

The move was met with fury from residents ? now town councillors will add their voices to the call to get the service reinstated.

Cllr Mandy Govier said: ?The withdrawal of this service is absolutely outrageous. People had no notice of it, they have been standing at bus stops with no busses turning up ? I think each and every one of us needs to write to the bus company ? some serious lobbying is needed.?

Cllr Govier said it was ?ridiculous? that First had blamed parked cars in Whitchurch Road for causing delays which forced the service off the road.

Cllr Maxine Gibson said users of the old 84 service were now forced to make a lengthy walk through Bishopsmead or a ?suicidal? trek through the narrow Anderton Lane to catch the Tavistock to Plymouth bus, which now only goes along the main A386. Otherwise, they had to pay extra to use a new service running between Horrabridge and Tavistock ? which used a Horrabridge bus stop ten minutes walk from the main stop. Even that service stopped in the early evening, meaning the village of Whitchurch had no public transport at all at night, said Cllr Gibson.

?They are not providing a public service at all at the moment ? they are putting their own profits way before giving us a service,? she said.

Cllr Roy Connelly, who is also Tavistock?s county councillor, said the old 84 service was not subsidised by the county, which therefore had little or no control over the actions of the company.

He said: ?The only thing that will convince these people are representations made by the public ? that?s going to be the strongest voice there is.

?But I know First are looking at the whole of their service ? we could be pushing against an open door.?

Cllr Norma Woodcock proposed a letter should be sent to First from the council as a whole, stressing it deplored the lack of consultation and withdrawal of the 84 bus service through Whitchurch ? councillors backed the move unanimously.

Stuart Render, spokesman for First, said the company faced a ?challenge? in providing the best possible service for the most amount of people.

He said the company would be happy to hear from the town council and any member of the public who had concerns about the new service provision in the Tavistock area.

?If there is a better way of providing this service, clearly we will look very closely and carefully at any suggestions that are put to us,? said Mr Render.

Anyone wishing to contact First about the axing of the 84 bus service through Whitchurch should write to Gerald Taylor, Managing Director, First, The Ride, Chelston Meadow, Plymouth PL9 7JT.