Changes to routes will now mean Barnoldswick bus users could have to catch extra buses on their commute.

Pendle’s MP and a student are upset that Mainline buses, as well as school buses, are no longer going beyond Barnoldswick town centre. The bus turning circle outside the former Fosters Arms pub sits on private land and the owners have told bus operators they can no longer use it.

Transdev Burnley and Pendle has said that, as the buses have nowhere to turn, they will no longer be operating up to Foster Road and the county council will have had to come up with an alternative solution for the school bus service.

Barnoldswick town service has been revised to instead use Carr Road and Louvain Avenue.

Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson said: “People will now essentially have to get the town service bus to the middle of Barnoldswick, and then swap onto the Mainline service if they are travelling out of Barnoldswick. It’s obviously more of a hassle.

“Lancashire County Council need to go back to the drawing board and find some way of these buses turning round at the bottom of town. It’s another insult to the people of Barnoldswick.”

Resident Lyle Davy, who regularly used the Fosters Arms stop to get to Nelson and Colne College, said: “For the school bus service and for people like me getting to college, a solution needs to be found. College students already have to set off at 7.40am to get to college for 9am.

“To have to walk almost a mile into the middle of town on top of that isn’t on. It’s not just round the corner.”

Tim Gornall, bus and supported transport manager for Lancashire County Council, said: "We leased the land at the former Fosters Arms pub to allow buses to turn around, but as that arrangement has come to an end with no option for us to renew it there will be changes to services.

“The B1/B2 Barnoldswick town service, which is subsidised by the county council, will use Carr Road and Louvain Avenue onto Foster Road to allow the bus to continue to serve that area.

“There will be no change to the timetable or the rest of the route.

“The 21 to 29 Burnley Mainline services operated commercially by Transdev Burnley and Pendle, which has ten services per day turning at the Fosters Arms in the early morning, afternoon and evening, will now stop in the town centre around Fernlea Avenue/Station Road.

“The 180 service from Clitheroe to Skipton via Barnoldswick will be unaffected and continue to pick up and drop off at the Fosters Arms.”

To accommodate students, an extra B1/B2 town service bus will be put on, stopping first at Carr Road and Louvain Avenue at 7.47am, followed by two other stops, to get the youngsters into town for a 7.55pm school bus connection going towards Nelson.

As this service can only accommodate 27 passengers, people who would normally get on at the stop closest to town are being advised to walk to the town centre as it is expected the bus could be full by then.