Arriva has confirmed a date buses could be back on an estate where they were stopped every night.
The travel provider announced on Thursday, October 20, that they would be restricting its 413, 414 and 423 services from stopping on the Leasowe estate after 6pm. Arriva said this was due to instances of antisocial behaviour around the Twickenham Drive area in recent days and added that police were investigating.
Buses were diverted via Leasowe Castle and the company said this was "until further notice". Arriva is the only travel provider that visits the estate after 6pm, with people only being able to use a train, taxi or car after 6pm.
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When the ECHO visited Leasowe to speak to people in the area, residents understood the clear need for Arriva to safeguard their drivers and also those who ride their buses. However many people living in the area were worried about being left stranded by the changes.
One woman, who lives on the estate and did not want to be named, said: "It’s quite a deprived estate really and you get a lot of people who can’t afford a car and rely on the buses to get to work or to get to the shops, we’ve only got Heron Foods really.
"The rest of the shops are a bus ride really, especially if you’re elderly. If you’re elderly you’ve got no chance have you after 6pm at least. "It’s bad for people who can’t use a car or get to the station."
Kelly, a mum who lives on the estate, said the diversion was a "nightmare" that occurs every year. Kelly told the ECHO: "It’s going to be hard getting to work for some people. It’s a nightmare because it’s constantly going on and it’s every year.
"It’s also shame for the older people around here, because most of us respect the estate, but these younger thugs they don’t have any respect.
"I’m okay myself because I don’t work or have to go out much in the evenings anyway. But people who go to work are having to walk all the way to the main road or to the train station, and some aren’t able to go that far.
"This is an every year occurrence and it’s getting to people now. I’ve been questioning if I should move or not from the estate. It makes me angry to be honest."
In an update today, a spokesperson for Arriva said they are continuing to work with Merseyside Police and hope to reinstate services back to normal routes from November 7.
They said: "We are continuing to work with Merseyside Police, and other parties, to ensure remedial action is put in place. We hope to re-instate services back on normal routes from November 7."
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