A PETITION signed by more than 1,000 people opposing cuts to bus services in Wyre Forest has been handed to Worcestershire County Council.

The Save Our Buses campaign, organised by the Wyre Forest Green Party, has also helped people to send 630 letters to councillors, fill in 220 council consultation forms and has handed out 600 information leaflets.

The county council voted to scrap a £3 million taxpayers' subsidy for public transport, which puts 88 services on 43 routes across Worcestershire "at risk" unless private companies take on the services, with higher prices or reduced pick-ups.

Stephen Brown, Wyre Forest Green Party spokesman, said "The level of interest and public concern over this matter has been huge and to put it in context, in a similar consultation in Dorset, the total number of responses to the council's consultation amounted to 1200.

"In Worcestershire, the council has received 7,000 responses. So, you can see the public are not impressed with the council's plans.

"It's not too late - the council can think again and look at re-directing money from other parts of the council budget, or renegotiating its contracts on buses for the benefit of local people, rather than thinking slash and burn is the answer to all of its problems without due regard for people's needs or the local economy."

The public consultation ended last Friday.

Ronald Lee, who collated the petition on behalf of Green Party campaigners, said: "The fact that we collected 1,000 signatures at our stalls in Kidderminster, Stourport, and Bewdley, shows the huge opposition there is amongst the people of Wyre Forest to the proposed bus cuts.

"I hope the council will take heed of this and shelve their plans to withdraw the £3 million subsidy."