EARLY morning commuters will miss out when a number of timetabled buses between Burnley, Nelson, Barrowford and Worsthorne are axed.

But bus chiefs say extra services have been scheduled for Manchester, Skipton, Bury and Keighley as a result of the overhaul.

Several early-morning services on the Starship 1 bus, between the Stoops estate, Burnley, Pike Hill and Todmorden and the Starship 2 bus, serving Higherford, Nelson, Burnley and Worsthorne, will stop from October 30.

Buses between Harle Syke, Burnley and Rosegrove, the Starship 4 and 4 services, will be similarly affected.

And the Starship 6 bus, from Burnley to Bleak House, will revert from every 30 minutes to hourly, under the changes.

Similar proposals had been announced for early evening services, along the same routes but, with the exception of the Starship 1 service, Lancashire County Council will step in with subsidies to cover the gaps.

County council environment director Jo Turton said: “The cost of these replacement journeys is a net subsidy of £6,821 per annum.”

Elswhere additional Mainline buses will be offered to Keighley, to cater for Colne and West Craven patients attending Airedale Hospital, and Skipton.

Earlier this week passengers in Edenfield were protesting that the X44 service, linking the village to Burnley and Manchester, was being scrapped.

But county councillor Darryl Smith has been involved with negotiations with transport officials and he has been told the X35 service will now begin in Edenfield, rather than Stubbins, to help bridge the gap.

Coun Smith added: “Hopefully the service will prove a success and I will look to lobby to get the service extended into Rawtenstall.”