PASSENGERS in North Bradley have celebrated the reinstatement of the 265 service in the village by joining forces with First to mark the third annual Catch the Bus week.

Changes in April saw First's Bath-Salisbury service re-routed to call in North Bradley instead of the nearby White Horse Business Park after the stops were cut a couple of years ago.

Thanks to the work of portfolio holder for public transport Horace Prickett who championed on behalf of residents, many came out this week to show their appreciation.

He said: "I am very pleased to have worked with First Bus to restore through buses to Salisbury and Bath from the village centre. With the withdrawal of the RUH Hopper this now becomes the best way for villagers to get to their hospital appointments or enjoy a day out at Salisbury market. The changes have proved the worth of the many passenger counts and surveys that the parish councillors did to help restore the service. We look forward to working with First to ensure the service is a great success."

Catch the Bus week aims to show people the benefits of using public transport across the whole country.

Andrew Sherrington, general manager for First Bath added: “Catch the Bus week offers a great opportunity to remind people about the services that they have on their doorstep and to encourage them to use them. Service 265 is popular with local people, and while there is an obvious need to connect with the nearby business park – to help those people who want to commute to work by bus – it is also important to provide an off peak service for those people who live in the village who want, and need, to travel to places such as Bath, Warminster and Salisbury for medical appointments, shopping and leisure activities.”