An emboldened group of Houghton residents are celebrating after a public campaign has seen them save a bus route relied on by countless local people.

The 520 service, that connects Houghton Le-Spring, Fencehouses and Chilton Moor was originally planned to be axed by operator Go North East this year.

However, a campaign led by Labour Councillor Juliana Heron has meant the route has been saved after enough residents signed the petition calling for it to remain.

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Cllr Heron has celebrated the victory, thanking those involved for saving a route that is said to connect hundreds of residents to local amenities.

She said: "This is an absolutely fantastic result for the people of Houghton, Chilton Moor and Fencehouses.

“Losing this service would have impacted upon the lives of hundreds of residents, not least some of the most disadvantaged in our community.

“I'm just so glad that the operators have seen sense and the service will remain in operation.”

Houghton Le-Spring is one of many areas that does not benefit from rail services including from the Metro, after services on the Leamside Line stopped carrying passengers in the 1960s.

Cllr John Price, who lent his support to the petition, spoke of the need to “fight” for communities like Houghton that, after the Leamside Line was closed, cannot access other means of public transport.

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“I think I speak for all the residents of Houghton and the Coalfields when I say how thankful we are to Juliana for her work on this.

“As an area with no metro or rail link, the constant cuts to public transport funding has been catastrophic to areas such as ours over recent years.

“Therefore, it’s vital that we continue to fight to ensure that existing routes such as this continue in operation.”