THE withdrawal of a bus service around Tavistock's Greenlands estate could leave many of the area's less able people struggling to get out of their homes, according to residents.

First Western National announced buses would no longer enter the estate after the end of the month, stopping instead at the Green Lane entrance.

The company blamed the decision on the difficulties drivers have turning vehicles around the badly-parked cars on the estate.

One elderly resident, 76-year-old Veen Judkins, has collected more than 120 signatures on a petition calling for the service to be retained and has contacted West Devon and Torridge MP John Burnett.

Mrs Judkins said: 'They say it's only a couple of minutes' walk, but if you live down the bottom it can take more than ten minutes for us older people, especially with heavy shopping bags and an umbrella. I'm 76 and there are other disabled people who just can't do it.'

The weather is also a problem. People currently shelter by the shop, but having made it up to the Green Lane bus stop they would have to stand in the open. The shelter there had to be removed after it was badly vandalised.

'It's right next to the moor — very exposed,' said Mrs Judkins. 'If you got all the way over there and it was raining you'd be soaked through.'

She said she understood the bus company's point of view.

'The police have asked people to shift their cars, which they do, only to put them back once the police have gone,' she said. 'But surely somebody could paint yellow lines around the turning point.'

Mrs Judkins also said they had asked Western National to put on a 'Hoppa' service but were told it was not viable.

'It seems a pity people living at this end of the estate have to suffer because of the selfish few,' she said.

MP John Burnett said he had been in touch with the bus company, the police and Devon County Council, and was liaising over the use of smaller buses or the introduction of yellow lines.

He said Inspector Nick Rogers, of Tavistock Police, had told him parking had not been deemed a problem because they had only received two reports of illegal parking. However, he urged residents to contact the police whenever there were difficulties.

Lesley Pomeroy, spokeswoman for First Western National, said they were frequently getting buses stuck in the estate streets because of inconsiderately parked cars.

'Sometimes for as long as twenty or thirty minutes, with the drivers having to knock on people's doors to get cars moved,' she said.

Ms Pomeroy said by not going onto the estate, and introducing an extra bus each hour, the service will be much more reliable for the vast majority of the bus-riding public.

However, she said if things were to alter there was no reason why the decision could not be revised.

She added that a smaller bus would prove impracticable for the large numbers of passengers wishing to use the route.