A BUS link through Whitchurch which was axed this spring is to be reinstated following public outcry.

The 84 service, run by First buses, was cut in an effort to streamline timetables ? but it meant Whitchurch residents had to walk or drive to Tavistock to catch a direct bus to Plymouth. There was also no evening or Sunday service through the village.

Now, First has announced its replacement 84 service, which ran between Tavistock and Horrabridge through Whitchurch, is to be extended to Yelverton from September 27. This means bus travellers can catch a direct connection to Plymouth from Yelverton.

The evening and Sunday service will also be reinstated once new parking restrictions and a bus stop clearway order near Whitchurch Post Office and Anderton Lane are established, hopefully by the new year.

George Taylor, managing director of First, said: ?We are going to be running an early service through Whitchurch and a return service in the evening. We?ve improved the corridor from Tavistock to Plymouth and hope people will be pleased with the changes.

?The next thing we are hoping to do is a programme of improvements, including better vehicles. There?s lots to be done and we want to carry on making services better.?

Tavistock county councillor Roy Connelly said: ?I welcome the decision by First to extend the 84 service. It will re-establish better access to Derriford Hospital and other vital services in Plymouth, so essential in the support of some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

?I thank Gerald Taylor and his team for the way they have dealt with this issue and the manner in which they responded to concerns raised at the public meeting they attended.?

Tavistock mayor Jenny Metcalf said: ?It?s good they have listened to the views of the public and addressed the problems which were created for people getting to and from work in Plymouth.?

She said she would have preferred First to have re-instated the original 84 route, but welcomed improvements to the service, particularly if it meant better bus stop facilities at Yelverton.