A SENIOR manager from First Western National came under fire from residents of Tavistock's Greenlands estate this week after the company withdrew its bus service around the estate.

Almost 60 people turned out to quiz commercial manager Michael Hicks at the first ever meeting of the Greenlands Tenants and Residents' Association held at St Peter's School on Monday.

The vast majority were regular bus users, furious that many of the estate's elderly and infirm were now expected to walk a long way, often with heavy shopping bags, to the bus stop on Green Lane.

Many more had signed a petition calling for the service to be reinstated.

Mr Hicks promised First Western National would consider their views, but despite the urgency felt by residents, he could not say when they would be able to get a meeting of the relevant people together, blaming 'diary pressures'.

He said they were hoping to start forming some sort of view by tomorrow (Friday) when the company's general manager is due to meet West Devon and Torridge MP John Burnett on the matter.

The company withdrew the service around the estate at the end of January. A letter written to the association by marketing co-ordinator Lesley Pomeroy and read out at the meeting stated the area presented Western National with 'severe operational difficulties caused by parked cars'.

It claimed bus drivers had been delayed by up to 20 minutes while knocking on doors to get vehicles moved. The company also said the service only carried a handful of people each week.

Mr Hicks said the decision had been taken on reports received from drivers and the local manager.

'The majority of people on this estate need the bus — it's the only way they can get out of their homes at all,' said one resident.

Everyone challenged the assertion that parked cars were the problem.

'Why can the Tesco bus and the school bus come around the estate without any problems?' asked one person.

The residents agreed there had been a particular problem some time ago, which had now been solved, but they disputed any bus driver had ever had to knock on doors.

'It's not true they were delayed knocking on doors — they just don't like coming here,' said one man, supported by dozens of similar stories.

One resident claimed a driver had told him they simply left out the estate if they were running late. A woman said she was forced off the bus at Green Lane and had to walk through the estate when it was pouring with rain. Another said she had been told to buy a house at the front of the estate.

And there were other reports of scheduled buses failing to turn up and driving past queues of waiting people.

Mr Hicks urged residents to report any incidents.

However, several people said complaints had fallen on deaf ears at Western National.

Summing up, Mr Hicks said he was certainly more aware of the strength of feeling in the estate, and impressed with the number of people turning out.

He said he would take the comments made about dealing with the parking problems back to head office.

'We recognise this is a customer-driven business,' said Mr Hicks.