Council bosses are planning to scrap another two buses which take pupils from Darwen and nearby villages to schools in Bolton.

Blackburn with Darwen's ruling executive board has been recommended to approve the withdrawal of the subsidised 480 and 925 services with effect from 2028.

But two other routes will be unaffected.

The changes are to bring the council's school bus provision to Bolton schools into line with its home to class transport policy elsewhere in the borough.

West Pennine ward Conservative Cllr Jean Rigby - who last year spearheaded the unsuccessful campaign to save the 981 service which took 30 children from Darwen, Turton, Hoddlesden and Chapeltown to and from Bolton’s Canon Slade School - said: "I am more than disappointed.

"It's just another Labour cut.

"There are not enough places in borough schools for all the children who need them in and around Darwen."

The recommendation to Thursday's meeting follows a review of the four subsidised bus routes which still take borough children to schools in Bolton and cost the authority's £128,580 a year,

No pupils who currently travel on the services, or those due to start in September 2023, will be affected.

The proposal would only affect the 480 and 925 routes which serve Canon Slade School, Turton School, Sharples School and Thornleigh Salesian College.

Services 925A and 975 would be unaffected, as they carry Blackburn with Darwen pupils currently eligible for free travel.

Whilst 480 and 925 routes are still operating, fare-paying pupils who also want to travel on these services will be allowed to use them.

Cllr Phil Riley, leader of the council, said: "The council only has a duty to transport children to school who are legally entitled to receive home to school transport due to eligibility (i.e. attending nearest suitable school, or low income) and the 925A and 975 school services fulfil this duty and will remain in operation.

"The 925 and 480 routes provide a service to children who are not legally entitled to receive home to school transport.

"This is a council service that does not exist for children in the rest of the borough, so in the interests of fairness, it’s proposed that these services will cease but only when current pupils, including those who are joining in September 2023, have ceased to require the service which could be as late as 2028.

"The decision will have no negative impact on current pupils during their time in secondary education. We think that this is a fair solution for all the school children in the borough."