ANGRY residents are objecting to a new bus service which they say would mean 24,000 trips every year along their road.

An action group on a north Harrogate housing estate is lobbying for wider support for its opposition to the bus service by distributing leaflets to all residents in the area.

On Sunday, May 2, the action group is urging residents to park their cars along Saltergate Drive to highlight problems of buses travelling between lawfully parked vehicles.

Action group spokesman Ray Forward said: "We will not do anything illegal, we just want to highlight the issue."

The action group say buses would be running every 12 minutes.

Harrogate and District Travel bus company want to extend the 103 bus service to run along Saltergate Drive, starting from May 17.

David Alexander, operations director for Harrogate and District Travel, said the firm was providing an extended service along Saltergate Drive to meet requests from residents.

Mr Alexander said the new service had already been registered with the Traffic Commissioners and would start on May 17.

He said the service would then be reviewed after six months.

He said: "With all the pressures of environmental impact on everything we do I think it is amazing that we have got a situation where residents are opposed to the introduction of such a service." Mr Alexander said he would be attending a public meeting arranged by the action group on May 5.

The public meeting will be at the Stonebeck public house in Grantley Drive. starting from 7pm.

The action group said many residents believe their lives will be shattered if buses run every 12 minutes using four additional bus stops along Saltergate Drive.

The action group wants the extended service postponed until an agreement is reached after more public consultation.

The group said its own survey showed that 135 people were against the service, 25 were in favour while six favoured a less frequent service.