BLACKBURN Transport is to end its Coachlines service after a decline in the market for its holidays.

The managing director of the business said the service had steadily reduced and was unlikely to run next year.

Michael Morton, managing director of Blackburn Transport, said: "We are running down the coaching operation. The coach holiday industry is a difficult one to be in.

"We have run coaches for a number of years but the market is getting smaller and our average passenger age is late 50s to early 80s who are retired or semi-retired.

"They are paying for trips with interest on savings or pensions. With low interest rates they are not able to go on that many holidays any more.

"We have scaled down from 13 to eight to six coaches but we do not intend on doing it next year.

"We will concentrate on our core business and do what we do bes which is running buses for Blackburn with Darwen."

Mr Morton said Coachline drivers would be transferred to work on normal bus routes.

Blackburn Transport began doing coach holidays in 1988 and had built up to a successful business.

But in the late 1990s the popularity began to decline. Mr Morton said there was a peak in 2001 but when interest rates fell again, so did the market for the holidays.

Over the years the company has run trips from three-day short breaks to 10-day holidays throughout the UK and in mainland Europe.

Holidays run by Blackburn Coachlines will continue until September this year.