Police called to bus demo in Wellingborough

Community group Action 34 is trying to save the bus that runs between Wellingborough and Kettering via Little Harrowden, Orlingbury and Pytchley.

The service, which currently serves the Kingsway, Henshaw and Barnwell roads in Wellingborough, is due to finish from tomorrow (Saturday).

Dozens of people gathered for the demonstration organised for 10am today (Friday) in Church Street, Wellingborough.

However, police were called at 10.30am as between 30 and 40 people were in the road, preventing the buses from travelling.

A spokesman for Northants Police said: “We are there to keep people off the zebra crossing and to facilitate the traffic.”

This route is one of numerous bus services being cut as part of cost-cutting measures by Northants County Council.

Fred Harris sent us these pictures of the demonstration and said: “The traffic was stopped and police were in attendance.

“We hope we have made our point, at the moment there will be no bus service for the Redwell end of the town or Berrymore while two other parts of the town have three buses an hour.”

And he added: “Dozens of older or infirm people will now have no way of getting into the town for shopping,socialising, attending doctors, church, or funerals to name but a few.

“There are 3,000 dwellings to be built on the northern part of the town, and many of them will need public transport.

“We cannot seem to get the message across that it is not all about money, it is for many a necessity.”

Mr Harris says it is the elderly, infirm and those without transport who are going to suffer because of the financial crisis the county council is in and he says it is just not right.

For more information about the affected bus routes, click here