EVESHAM is to lose two bus services despite a rescue package by Worcestershire County Council to save certain routes.

The county council has formed its salvage operation from a temporary subsidy increase of £300,000.

This was was agreed by cabinet after the company First announced it was axing buses throughout Worcestershire in November.

As a result the X50 service from Wickhamford via Badsey, Evesham and Pershore, will be withdrawn and so will the 583, which ran between Davies Road and Fairfield, serving St Mary's RC Primary School and Swan Lane First School.

The 247 route between Redditch, Studley, Alcester, Bidford, and Evesham will continue unaltered.

The service provided by W R Spring between Pebworth, Honeybourne, Bretforton, Badsey and Evesham, will also continue unchanged, but be operated by LMS Travel.

Passenger and fleet transport manager Chris Pettifer said: "The rescue package follows intense activity by this unit in obtaining tender prices from operators and organising the most beneficial and cost-effective services possible.

"The temporary increase in subsidy funding recently announced has been partly used to achieve this, and partly to cover other similar expenditure incurred in recent months.

"We appreciate that in some cases the services we have managed to retain are not as frequent as those presently running.

"But the whole exercise was undertaken on a temporary basis while a wholesale review of bus subsidies in the county is being carried out in conjunction with our consultants."

He also advised passengers to consult the new timetables, which will be available before Monday, January 6.