VILLAGERS in Tolpuddle fear they will be cut off if they lose their bus service.

Operator Damory Coaches is set to pull out a number of its services from April 14, including the 347 and 387 routes from Dorchester to Poole.

Dorset County Council is currently looking at options to cover for the loss of the Damory services, which the company claims it can no longer operate on a commercial basis; but if the Dorchester to Poole service stops it will leave residents of Tolpuddle without a bus to either town.

The concern for the Damory routes comes as residents in villages north of Dorchester including Cattistock and Maiden Newton also face losing South West Coaches’ non-school services on the 212 Dorchester to Yeovil route.

Parish councillor Jan Hopkin, whose 91-year-old father Ben Martin is among those in Tolpuddle who rely on the bus service, said around 150 villagers had already put their names to a petition calling for the service to be saved and representations had also been made to West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin.

She said: “We are really concerned because we have not got a shop, we have not got a doctor’s surgery or anything so if we need to get to a shop or whatever we rely on either private transport or public service transport and we would be losing that.

“The nearest shop is either at Puddletown or Bere Regis and that’s just too far for people to walk. We do need a bus service.”

Councillor Hopkin added that representatives from Tolpuddle would also be at a meeting on tomorrow morning at the Drax Hall in Bere Regis at 11am where people from all the villages on the route – including Bere Regis, Briantspuddle and Winterborne Kingston – will come together to voice their concerns.

George White, 76, who has lived in the village for 20 years, is among those who fear the loss of the bus service would leave them without a way of getting to Poole or Dorchester.

He said: “I used to cycle to Dorchester but it’s not very safe nowadays. I’m someone who relies on the bus, it’s mostly the older people who do as the younger ones drive.”

Peter Scaife, 62, shares a car with his wife and often has to use the bus to get into Dorchester.

He said: “I do use it most weeks, it’s the only bus that goes into Dorchester.

“There are a fair few people in the village who haven’t got their own transport and need to use the bus.”

Council aware that some communities face ‘total loss of services'

Public transport manager David Coates said: “We take the withdrawal of commercial bus services very seriously and are aware of the impact on many communities, including Tolpuddle.

“This is one of several places facing the total loss of bus services.”

Mr Coates said bids had been invited to operate a number of the threatened Damory services as well as the South West Coaches’ 212 service from Yeovil to Dorchester via Maiden Newton.

He added that the council was close to addressing the issues faced by residents of Charminster and Charlton Down faced with the loss of their number 7 bus by re-routing the existing 216 Yeovil to Dorchester route via Cerne Abbas.

Mr Coates said: “The bids will be considered at a special cabinet meeting on March 21.

“Additional money will have to be found if they are to continue, although we will have to ensure that at the very least some school journeys on services 103 and 347/387 continue to operate as there is a legal requirement to transport many of the affected children.”