DOZENS of elderly and disabled residents face "hardship" with the downgrading of a bus route, it has been claimed.

The route which serves homes north of Kidderminster Road in Wribbenhall, Bewdley, will cease on September 1.

First in the Midlands, formerly First Midland Red, is cutting part of the service that gives residents access to shops and medical services in Bewdley and Kidderminster.

Worcestershire Cou-nty Council will provide a subsidy for a replacement - but it is likely to have reduced frequency and a different route.

Now a petition to save the service has been circulated to shops in Bewdley as well as Wribbenhall residents.

"In every road in this estate there is warden-controlled property and all these people use it," said Mary Pritchard, 73, of Shaw Hedge Road.

"With a bag of shopping you couldn't walk up from Kidderminster Road. It's going to be a big hardship."

Mrs Pritchard added she and other residents used the service to visit Bewdley Post Office, the medical centre and Kidd-erminster Hospital.

Wribbenhall and Arley district councillor Tony Greenfield, who is co-ordinating the petition, hopes to secure 500 signatures by tomorrow.

The bus company's human resources and strategy manager Austin Birks said: "We have to examine some routes to see if they are commercially viable. As a commercial organisation we can't just keep pumping money away."

Chris Pettifer, the county council's passenger transport manager, said: "We are currently in the process of awarding the tender but it is likely to be at a reduced frequency. We will be putting a subsidy together but we have a limited budget that we have to maximise across the county."