ELDERLY Kidderminster residents will have to walk long distances hauling their shopping because of a shake-up in bus services, a councillor has claimed.

Fran Oborski hit out at the changes coming into operation on Monday, as a result of First cutting journeys on several Wyre Forest routes, as well as no longer serving Kidderminster bus station on some routes.

Crossley Retail Park will no longer be served. Choice Travel has been awarded the contract to run a selection of services.

Mrs Oborski, a Wyre Forest district and Worcestershire county councillor, said residents of Kidderminster's Comberton estate faced a "greatly reduced bus service".

She added: "Under the new arrangement, the number 2 service will call on the estate only once - on its out-of-town journey - and even then stopping only at Coronation Way.

"This will mean that many elderly residents in the Queen Elizabeth Road, Doverdale Avenue, Hawford Avenue and Broom Crescent areas will all be forced to walk long distances carrying shopping and all Comberton residents will be faced with an extra 'scenic' trip via Offmore and Spennells to actually get into town."

Under the new arrangements, country services and most services contracted to Worcestershire County Council will continue to serve Kidderminster bus station. Services 1,3, 4, 5 and 8 will serve Kidderminster Town Hall only.

Choice Travel will run the 4 and 7 services and certain journeys on routes 1, 5 and 8.

Service 2 buses to Bewdley will serve the bus stop at Swan Centre only, while the same route's buses to Spennells will serve the Swan Centre and stops on Bromsgrove Street, Prospect Hill and Oxford Street only.

Service 7 will operate on a revised timetable, using low-floor, easy access buses.

There will also be changes to some school services, with Choice operating routes 869 and 877 and Woodstone Coaches running route 872. The morning journey on service 718 to Hagley RC School is being withdrawn, with changes to the afternoon journey.

Among other changes, the 192 Birmingham to Kidderminster service will have a revised timetable, with some journeys extended to Bewdley. On the 293 Stourport to Worcester route, Yarrantons will operate an extra journey at 8.30am from Worcester to Stourport.

Details of timetables are available at: www.worcestershire.gov.uk/bustimetables or by calling Traveline on 0870 608 2608.