A BUS company has announced a shake-up of services as it announces details of its summer timetable.

First Dorset, the main operator in Weymouth and Portland, says it will result in improvements to several daytime, evening and Sunday services.

However, following the termination of Dorset County Council funding, services 387 and 720 between Poole and Dorset are being withdrawn.

The Monday to Saturday daytime frequency of service 1 to Portland will increase to eight buses per hour.

There will also be additional late departures from Weymouth between 1am and 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Preston will get its evening service back, operating every 30 minutes on Sundays, and Chickerell will also see its service return but it will divert via Westham replacing service 3.

Weymouth-Dorchester buses will continue every 15 minutes in the daytime, hourly at night and half-hourly on Sundays.

Sunday services will also run on the X53 Jurassic Coastliner route and buses to Waterside Holiday Park and Littlesea Holiday Park will run in time for Easter.

General Manager for First Dorset Simon Newport said: “These changes represent the best level of service on Sundays that I can ever remember for this area.”

He added: “It is important to remember that we are operating these routes entirely at our own risk. We get no local authority financial support for any of these routes including the reintroduction of the X53 Sunday service.

“We would however take this opportunity to thank customers who used services 387 and 720, who need to contact Dorset County Council for details of replacement services.”

For more information see firstgroup.com