A POPULAR commuter bus service from Millom to Barrow is to be cut amid further problems for bus users in Furness.

The 7 bus, which is the only route that takes people from Haverigg to Barrow, and passes through Askam and Dalton, will stop at the end of the school year in July.

Stagecoach's contract for the service, which is also used a school bus, has come to an end and will not be renewed.

It comes as after a Dalton county councillor, Ben Shirley, made it his mission to improve bus travel in the area, with residents complaining of spartan services and overcrowding.

Cllr Shirley said: "A lot of residents have come to me saying that the bus services are dreadful.

"The buses are so overcrowded that they are having to stand up when it is extremely uncomfortable for them to do so.

"Many people rely on these buses to attend appointments and go shopping in Barrow and the services stop them from doing that.

"Surely it is obvious that the demand is there for more bus services to stop this from happening.

"The bus company needs to give us more and bigger buses."

On the cutting of the bus from Millom, Mr Shirley said: "This is going to cause a lot of inconvenience for people - especially at a time when train services are as bad as they are."

Dalton councillor Wendy Maddox, said the bus services were important for residents in Dalton and Askam in getting to and from Barrow.

"Askam is a growing town and people who cannot use a car need to be able to get to Barrow.

"I think it is a shame that Askam does not have an adequate bus service."

The number of buses available between Askam, Dalton and Barrow has reduced over the last two years.

Mr Shirley held what he called an "encouraging" meeting with the leader of Cumbria County Council leader Cllr Steward Young, to talk about how bus services could be improved and hoped it would be the start of a productive campaign.

Mr Shirley has also raised the issue of 1950s Waspi women - Women Against State Pension Inequality - who were caught out by a rise in the retirement age.

The group has been campaigning to get bus travel subsidies in lieu of a bus pass.

A Cumbria County Council spokesman said: “Cumbria County Council has not subsidised bus services since 2014 due to funding cuts as a result of the government’s austerity programme.

"Bus services in Cumbria are now run on a purely commercial basis – where there is demand and where operators can run a sustainable service, they will run.

“The council’s role is to explore community transport alternatives, such as Rural Wheels or voluntary driver schemes, where a bus service is not viable.”