CAMPAIGNERS in Liss who are fighting to keep a vital bus link to Petersfield have been given hope this week by Hampshire County Council.

Villagers in Liss and Liss Forest objected when Stagecoach announced plans to withdraw part of the 38 bus service between Liss and Petersfield from June 1.

They said many people relied on the service to get to work and to reach doctor's and other important appointments.

But this week a spokesman for the county council said the Passenger Transport Group was taking another look at part of the 38 bus between Liss and Petersfield to see if it could be saved.

"The majority of the passengers of the section withdrawn seem to travel between Petersfield and Liss Forest and we will be concentrating our efforts on that area. We are reasonably sure of providing some sort of service, but exactly what form it will take, it is too early to say," he said.

In the meantime members of East Hampshire District Council have joined the campaign for more public transport, not less, 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.

And 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 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.