A VILLAGE in the Bromsgrove district, which sits along a bus route earmarked for closure, has launched a petition to protest the decision, gathering hundreds of signatures in only a few days.

The 147 service, operated by First Worcester bus company, which currently runs from Worcester to Halesowen is being cancelled from April 10 leaving a portion of the route, from Catshill to Halesowen not covered by any local bus routes.

In response, councillors in the parish of Romsley and Hunnington, which is currently served by the 147, have launched an online petition to protest against the route closure.

The petition, on the change.org website, reads: “On the 1st March 2016 Romsley Parish Council were made aware that the 147 bus service from Catshill to Halesowen will finish on 10th April 2016. As the village’s only form of public transportation, buses are a vital part of Romsley and Hunnington’s infrastructure. They are relied upon by our parishioners to get to the nearest town for vital services or to facilitate onward journeys. Without this bus service - Romsley and Hunnington have no other form of public transport and parishioners without a car have no means of reaching the nearest town to access vital services or to make onward journeys.”

Signatures for the petition have already reached 478, with a target outlined of 500.

James Higgins, who lives in Daleswood Park in Romsley, said: “They are not replacing a service, they are cutting a service from Worcester to Halesowen affecting the public not only in Romsley, but Halesowen, Catshill, and Bromsgrove areas.

“The effect on Romsley and the local area will be devastating as they have no means of getting to either Halesowen or Bromsgrove.

“First say they are constantly looking at ways to improve services to our local community, working closely with Worcestershire County Council, They have a funny way of going about it, by only giving a few weeks’ notice to our parish council to its proposed cutting of our bus service.

“They have never approached its customers in regards to improving the service or cutting the running costs, this also goes for our county council. It would seem they do not wish to know.”

Announcing the closure of the route last week, Sarah East, general manager for First Worcester, said: “There is very little funding available today to support services that are used by just a handful of people and so unfortunately we have to make difficult decisions in the future of these services. That said, we will always look at ways to try and accommodate residential areas by linking services or if necessary reduce frequencies to keep a service operational.”

People can sign the petition online at change.org/p/romsley147.