A BUS company is threatening legal action if a council refuses to re-open the bidding to run a popular park-and-ride service.

Go North East says if Durham County Council does not rerun the contest for the Durham City parkand- ride, it will seek a legal injunction preventing a new operator being named.

Controversy arose when the council picked Arriva as its “preferred bidder” to run the service for the next five years, overlooking Scarlet Band, the operator since the service opened in 2005.

The council said it was looking to build on an “already excellent service”

and Arriva would introduce buses with lower emissions.

Scarlet Band, an independent firm based in West Cornforth, has queried the decision and has written to councillors asking for their supporting during the “cooling off period”.

Now Go North East has filed an official objection and hopes the council will agree to re-start the bidding process when it holds a scrutiny meeting on Monday. If not, the company is expected to pursue an injunction.

Peter Huntley, managing director for Go North East, said: “Having seen the detail of the scoring system, we believe it to be substantially flawed.

“We also believe there have been inconsistencies between the scoring system set out in the tender document and its application during the tender process and we have asked for both of these areas to be addressed.”

The council named its preferred bidder following a scoring process in which Arriva came out top, with Go North East and Scarlet Band joint second.

Scarlet Band says its bid was £24,000-a-year cheaper than that of Arriva. Go North East says its bid offers quality and value for money.

A council spokesman said because Go North East has indicated it is considering legal action, it would be inappropriate to comment.

However, Monday’s meeting will see the launch of a review of the council’s procedures for awarding contracts, a process that should be completed by the end of the month.

Councillor Joe Armstrong, chairman of the council’s overview and scrutiny management board, said he wanted to make the bidding process clearer and ensure it is fit for purpose.