AN MP has accused Arriva of behaving extremely badly over its decision to cut rural bus services in the region.

Helen Goodman, the MP for Bishop Auckland and Teesdale, met with Durham County Council officials to discuss Arriva’s proposed cancellation of its buses operating between villages in Teesdale, linking them with Darlington and Barnard Castle.

The authority has pledged £75,000 to rescue some services cut by Arriva, but cannot cover the cost of replacing all the affected routes.

The routes earmarked for cancellation are the 95 and 96 services, which would leave the villages of Mickleton, Romaldkirk, Cotherstone and Lartington without public transport, and the 84 and 85 service between Barnard Castle and Darlington via Evenwood and Cockfield.

The deadline for transport operators to bid for the tender to run bus services in the area was yesterday.

Ms Goodman said: “Arriva have behaved very badly and put the county council in a very difficult position.

“It cannot be the same level of service as before, but it will go to all the same villages and will cover the morning and evening services to enable people to go to work and school, which is the priority.

“I will be asking them to have a look at the resources going into transport in the area from the whole public sector.”

Arriva spokesman Mark Ellis said the bus company had been put in a difficult position by the Government, with a 38 per cent rise in its fuel bill for next year. He said: “That is what has put a lot of these marginal and slightly loss-making buses into the red in a much bigger way.

“We do not want to take these services off either, but the financial realities are that those routes which make a small loss now will be much worse next year when our fuel price goes up.”