AN MP has joined the fight to reinstate the only bus from Hyndburn to Blackburn's new super hospital.

The 91 service from Accrington to Royal Blackburn Hospital, via Oswaldtwistle, has been axed, despite a pledge to health bosses that services would improve.

Lancashire County Council got rid of the service in the summer - saving about £50,000 a year.

Now Hyndburn MP Greg Pope has called on the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust to step in and get the bus back on the road.

He said: "The current situation is really unsatisfactory. The Royal Blackburn Hospital is for the whole of East Lancashire.

"If patients and visitors are unable to get a direct bus from one of the main towns in the region there is something very wrong."

People travelling in from Hyndburn must take a bus from Accrington to Blackburn town centre and then change for a transfer to the hospital.

The 91 bus was axed after NHS chiefs said councils had "agreed to improve transport over the next two years".

The pledge was made in a document delivered to 227,000 homes in East Lancashire to try to convince residents to support controversial proposals for the future treatment of patients.

A patient watchdog boss said the news showed the pledge was just "empty words".

Coun Tony Martin, responsible for transport at the county council, said the service was recommended for closure because it was not making enough money, but he had deferred it for further consideration.

He said: "There aren't the passengers there to justify it. The funding is not there to improve the service.

"I would urge people who do have problems to get in touch with the hospital to see if they can arrange for the volunteer ambulance service to help them."

The NHS Transport Group was due to meet last month to discuss the issue but the meeting was cancelled at the last minute.

A date for a new meeting has yet to be set.