RESIDENTS have hit out at the First bus company over "ridiculous" cuts to services in Weymouth and West Dorset.

There is anger over cuts to service 6 serving Lanehouse and Wyke which has been rerouted to bypass a housing estate and will not be running as frequently.

It comes as plans are announced for a protest in Martinstown as part of a long-running battle to get more buses running through the Winterbourne Valley.

Villagers claim they have been left cut off after First slashed the X31 Weymouth to Bridport service, diverting it away from the area.

First cut the hourly service last year so only two buses a day were going through Martinstown and neighbouring communities. Following a vociferous protest in May 2014, the firm had a rethink and there is now six buses daily - three in the morning towards Dorchester and three returning in the evening.

Now a year on another protest has been organised at Martinstown village green at 12.15pm on Saturday as residents the bus service is inadequate.

Les Scarth, who helped the organise the protest, said: “There is an enormous amount of people in the villages that just can’t get out of the village because they can’t use the bus.

“It’s ridiculous we haven’t got the hourly service. There are about 1,000 residents in the Winterbourne Valley that have been completely cut off. The protest is a chance for people to get across their concerns to First and to also voice their anger.”

West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin and county councillors are due to attend.

First has also reduced service 6 in Weymouth so there are fewer buses in the day and none on Saturdays and rerouted it away from the Fraser Avenue estate off Lanehouse Rocks Road.

Jean Dunseith, a district councillor for the ward, said: “The withdrawal of the Saturday service is a big loss “It’s disappointing. It’s quite a big reduction and it’s going to cause some hardship, especially for the elderly residents.”

Mayor of Weymouth and Portland Kate Wheller said: “It’s a huge shame. An awful lot of people from Wyke Regis find the number six very useful and it’s ridiculous it’s been reduced."

A First spokesman said the X31 was reduced to improve reliability for the whole service.

The spokesman added: “We do recognise that buses play a major part in the local community. We want to work with local authority partners to provide additional journeys using other resources during the middle of the day, but we cannot fund these by ourselves.”

Regarding service 6, the spokesman added: “Because of the existing difficulties with on-street parking in the (Fraser Avenue) area, regrettably these vehicles are too large to travel around the estate safely.

“We regret having to modify the service to such an extent, but currently, the low demand from full fare-paying customers at peak times and on Saturdays makes it economically difficult for us to continue operating the route in its current format.”