A BUS operator has made changes to a number of its services in Durham and Chester-le-Street.

Go North East has axed some services, while adding others, according to demand.

In Chester-le-Street, evening journeys on service 720 will cease, while the evening 709 buses will now serve Grange Village instead of Shield Row and will provide an evening link between Grange Villa and Stanley.

Departure times of buses on services 21, 21A and 21B during rush hour will change, to counter the effects of congestion in Newcastle and Gateshead.

Changes will be made to the late afternoon timetables on services 73, 729, 733 and 734, while departure times on service 180 will alter and some poorly used journeys will be stopped.

New timetables will be introduced on service X23 between Belmont and Newcastle and service X24 will call at Durham Bus Station and Chester-le-Street to provide direct buses to the MetroCentre.

A Monday to Friday commuting bus will now run from Washington to Durham, leaving Washington Galleries at 7.55am, calling at Chester-le- Street town centre and Arnison Retail Park in Durham.

Evening journeys on service 64A in Durham between the Arnison Centre, Newton Hall and Sherburn will be introduced, as will some Monday to Friday buses between Durham, Wheatley Hill and Hartlepool.

For further information on these and other changes, travellers can request a free timetable by contacting Go North East on 0845 60 60 260, or visit the website at www.simplygo.com.