A FREE bus service taking Dales town and village resident to Tesco in Catterick Garrison has been cancelled after almost 20 years.

The service ran four days a week, picking up in Richmond, Leyburn and villages across Richmondshire, as well as Bedale and Aiskew in Hambleton.

Tesco has confirmed the service is to finish at the end of March and would be supporting customers in finding alternative transport.

Leyburn resident Sheila Simms said the service had been a lifeline for people without transport who wanted to access bigger stores.

She said: "Some people felt it should never have run, feeling we owe an allegiance to our local shops. I wonder how many of those people would like to be stuck in Middleham without transport and no other option but their small, local shop?

"I have been a regular user of the Tesco bus since coming to live in Leyburn. It has been a way for people without their own transport to access not only bigger and more diverse shops but also have contact with other local people. On most buses you have a very quiet journey as few people talk – not so this bus. There is so much interaction, news sharing, laughter and gossip. Most importantly it is able to take people with physical disabilities to places they couldn't otherwise reach."

Mrs Simms said there were no very few options for people living in Richmondshire.

She said: "They can get the 9.30am Dales and District bus to Richmond and then the 10.15 Arriva bus to the shops at the garrison, but how long before they can get home when they have done their shopping?

"The next bus from Richmond to Middleham is not until 1.50pm – that's a lot of time to fill if you are in a wheelchair or in bad weather.

"I think the time has come to regard the mid Dales as 'deeply rural'.

"Some settlements round Leyburn are as isolated as Hawes used to be before the Little White Bus scheme.

"This problem is not going to go away and, with increasing cuts in Government funding to local authorities, will just get worse. We have a substantial elderly population in the Dales, many of whom cannot drive or use a computer. I suggest that local and district councils need to get together to find a solution to what will only get a bigger problem as time goes on."

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We regret that we have not been able to make these services work and would like to apologise to those who enjoyed using it.

"We are working hard to support customers affected to find alternative ways of travelling to our store, which is accessible via services offered by commercial operators."