SCHOOLCHILDREN in Frenchay have been left high and dry after a bus company has cancelled the early morning service that takes them to school.

The youngsters now face serious difficulties getting to lessons after First's 327 service was disbanded from today.

The group of about 25 pupils attend The Ridings High School, Winterbourne, and live in the school's catchment area of Frenchay, Hambrook and Stapleton.

The commercial service was not subsidised by South Gloucestershire Council but it enabled them to get on the bus near their homes and dropped them off within the school grounds.

Announcing a round of cutbacks, however, Bristol-based First says costs have shot up.

Area operations director Paul Jenkins said: "The costs of running the service have increased but the number of children using it have not and there were no longer enough children using the service to make it viable.

"We deeply apologise for any inconvenience caused."

Senior deputy headteacher at The Ridings, Eric Lyne, told the Gazette he had been left bewildered by the decision.

He said: "Parents are very upset about it and I just cannot understand why the school was never consulted about the implications of these changes to bus services."

Pupils were given a letter last Friday - just one week before the bus made its last journey - and were recommended to use the 328 service instead.

That bus will leave Frenchay Hospital at 7.52am and will not pass through the village as the 327 did. It will arrive at Winterbourne Post Office at 8.02am - almost 50 minutes before school starts. The next service gets in an hour later, meaning pupils will miss registration.

Mr Lyne said: "Students will have to wait at the public bus stop in the afternoon, and will have to cross busy Frenchay Park Road to catch the bus in the morning and that raises safety issues.

"This is a significant problem and it would have been useful if some consideration had been given to the school."

Winterbourne parish councillors were furious when chairman Cllr David Fletcher announced the cancellation at their Monday meeting.

Cllr Carole Thorne said: "The fact is there will be no bus service - public or school - from Frenchay to Winterbourne from this week.

"Is it reasonable to expect children to walk the whole length of Winterbourne every day? That is what they are going to have to do, unless their parents have cars and that means just more vehicles on the roads in Winterbourne."

She warned that youngsters hanging around Winterbourne for 50 minutes before school would not be a good thing.

Cllr John Alldridge said: "It is completely inadequate. I cannot believe they have terminated this service one week before the changes."

South Gloucestershire councillor Allan Higgs, however, said First's decision was a commercial one and that after complaining to the region's education chief Therese Gillespie, little more could be done.

He added: "We can huff and puff as much as we like, but there is very little we can do."

Concerned parents and pupils are being encouraged to complain to South Gloucestershire Council, First and MP Steve Webb and the school has urged First to re-consider its decision.