A BUS company has today claimed overhanging branches have forced them to cut a vital bus route from Sudbury to Ipswich.Beestons bus company has defended their decision to end the route 90 service in September and said they had to axe the service due to safety reasons.

A BUS company has today claimed overhanging branches have forced them to cut a vital bus route from Sudbury to Ipswich.

Beestons bus company has defended their decision to end the route 90 service in September and said they had to axe the service due to safety reasons.

The company claims they have suffered two smashed windows in the space of one day alone and have avoided many serious accidents because of the trees that crowd over Duke Street, in Hintlesham, near Hadleigh.

Operations manager for Beestons, Tom Munson, said: “The road just isn't suitable for our double decker buses.

“For the safety of our drivers, the passengers and other road users we have had to end the service.”

Mr Munson said the number 90 bus, which travels from Sudbury to Ipswich via Duke Street in Hintlesham, was in danger of having a serious accident if the service was to continue.

He said although it wasn't viable to have a smaller bus take over the route the number 91 would still run from Sudbury to Ipswich, without travelling via Duke Street in Hintlesham.

But their decision has angered many residents of Hadleigh and nearby Hintlesham who say it has left them in the lurch.

Chairman of Chattisham and Hintlesham Parish Council, Stephanie Coupland, said it was a great shame to all those who relied on the service.

She said: “We fully understand the danger caused by buses striking low trees but in a rural county like Suffolk, if every bus route where they are overhanging were scrapped there would hardly be any buses operating.

“If Beestons had contacted us about the problem, we would have worked with them to try to find a solution but to our dismay they have now arbitrarily discontinued the service causing great concern to many residents.”

Dennis Whitbread, 69, of Duke Street, Hintlesham, Suffolk, said: “For residents like myself who do not drive, this decision by Beestons is very cruel and will mean travel to Ipswich or Hadleigh will be extremely difficult and dangerous.”

“We now have to walk three quarters of a mile up the road to the A1071 to get the number 91 service just to access vital services such as doctors, schools and shops.”

A spokeswoman for Suffolk County Council said: “We are looking at trying to put on alterative travel options for that area but nothing has been confirmed yet.”

The number 90 service from Sudbury to Hadleigh, operated by Beestons, will run for the last time on Saturday, September 1.

Will you be affected by the closure of the number 90 bus service? What do you think? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.