VILLAGERS in Greatham are being urged to join the fight to keep a vital bus link to Petersfield by writing to local authorities.

The plea follows plans to withdraw part of Stagecoach's no 38 bus service between Petersfield and Whitehill from June 1.

Stagecoach, which has been running the service for five years, has informed Hampshire County Council that it plans to withdraw the through-service from Portsmouth to Aldershot because the service is operated without financial support of any kind.

The operating costs of the service must, therefore, be covered by revenue from passengers and while Stagecoach has reported some passenger growth over the time that the service has operated, it said it has not been enough to ensure the future of the service.

However, campaigners have been given fresh hope this week after a spokesman for the county council said that its passenger transport group would be taking another look at the service to see if it could be saved.

"The majority of the passengers on the section withdrawn seem to travel between Petersfield and Liss Forest and we will be concentrating our efforts on that area.

"We are reasonably of providing some sort of service, but exactly what form it will take, it is too early to say."

In the meantime Greatham villagers are being urged to voice their concerns by writing to East Hampshire District Council, Hampshire County Council, Greatham Parish Council or bus representative, Doris Upfield, at 6 Wolfmere Lane, Greatham, who will voice concerns on the village's behalf.

East Hampshire District Council has also joined the campaign for more public transport claiming that local authorities were supposed to be encouraging sustainable forms of travel.

At a meeting of the full council last week, Jim McKell from Alton urged councillors to voice their concerns about the loss of the bus service. He claimed the decision to axe the bus had been made too quickly and without adequate consultation.

Sue Halstead told the meeting: "I am very conscious that there is little time to make our representations.

"I think we need to do it very quickly as there are people who cannot get to work and to the doctor."

She urged villagers to write individual letters as well giving individual examples of cases of hardship caused by the loss of the public transport.

Jacinta Standen, portfolio holder for transport and traffic, told councillors that the withdrawal of buses and trains was "extremely disappointing."

She stressed the importance of individuals writing to voice their concerns and said she would be writing on behalf of East Hampshire District Council to register councillors' concerns at the loss of the Liss to Petersfield bus service.