Sir, – I would like to voice my anger and frustration at the decision by Arriva Buses to curtail the 95/96 service that serves upper Teesdale as from January 2.

This will leave many people, both young and old, isolated in the villages and, for those without access to private transport, little chance of accessing employment opportunities in the Dale, Darlington or Bishop Auckland.

For anyone living in the villages of upper Teesdale and working in Barnard Castle or Darlington and without access to private transport, the withdrawal of this service is likely to mean the loss of their job.

The removal of the 85 service to Bishop Auckland will also mean that they will be unable to access the job centre there. This presumably means they will have to travel by taxi, at taxpayers’ expense, when they need to attend.

The Coalition Government claimed it was going to be the greenest ever, how can that be true when actions like this will inevitably mean many more private car journeys? What good is a senior citizen’s bus pass when there are no buses?

Not only will this hit residents but I can see a major impact on tourism, coming as it does on the closure of the TIC in Barnard Castle. I think this is just another nail in the coffin of Teesdale tourism.

Arriva argues that the number of users is low and the services are not justified. I would argue that little attempt has been made to develop custom.

The buses are often unreliable.

On a number of occasions the buses simply do not turn up, particularly morning peaks. The drivers seem to be replaced so frequently that they often do not know the route and rely on passengers to tell them the stops and fares.

The last bus from Barnard Castle, up the dale, leaves at around 6.30pm which is much too early and there is very poor coordination with services from Bishop Auckland so that a commute from Upper Teesdale to Bishop is impossible. I believe the service has been deliberately left to die.

Can I urge all your readers to write to our MP, councillors and Arriva buses and tell them that this decision has to be reversed if life in Teesdale is not to be seriously damaged for many residents.

MARTIN MEGGS Cotherstone, Barnard Castle.