PATIENTS and visitors will have easy access to a hospital with a new bus route.

Bus operator Arriva is to divert its 62 service along Marton Road, Middlesbrough, providing a new link to the James Cook University Hospital.

The service runs through Loftus, Skinningrove, Carlin How, Brotton, Saltburn, Marske, New Markse, and Ings Estate, Redcar, from where there has been no regular daytime bus to the hospital.

Councillor Dave Walsh, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's leader, said: "This is excellent news for all of east Cleveland. It means that there is now a regular hourly link to the hospital, complementing the existing evening visitors' bus which the council subsidises.

"It is also good news for the Bankfields area of Eston, as the bus will be diverted through that estate too. There have been many requests for this, and it is good to know Arriva is listening."

The service starts on October 29