AN innovative late-night bus service between Ledbury and Malvern has had a successful first month.

The 675+ runs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and stops in Colwall, West Malvern and Malvern Wells, allowing people to visit the theatre or go for a night out without driving.

After enjoying the service for free for the first month, passengers will now be charged the normal rate.

Phil Browning is chairman of the cluster group of five parish and town councils running the bus scheme, helped by £50,000 funding from the Countryside Agency and £40,000 from Worcestershire County Council's Malvern Matters fund.

He said: "The first month has gone very steadily and the service is fulfilling its requirements.

"Lots of different people are using the bus, not the same group each time, which is good. It's continuing and will continue for the next few years."

Mr Browning said that Friday and Saturday nights were proving more popular than Thursday nights and that new leaflets advertising the service were being put in hotels and pubs, to encourage more people to use it.

An average of 12 to 15 people use the bus for each journey.

It is hoped that when funding for the scheme runs out in three years' time, it will have enough passengers to become self-sufficient.