RESIDENTS in Harkstead are raising their glasses to the village's new bus timetable today.Not that many people will know if the service has improved because the number of timetables in the village is scarce.

RESIDENTS in Harkstead are raising their glasses to the village's new bus timetable today.

Not that many people will know if the service has improved because the number of timetables in the village is scarce.

In fact the only known timetable in Harkstead is in the Bakers Arms Inn in the centre of the village.

Chairman of the parish council Margaret Harward said: "I would like a copy of the bus timetable myself but don't know where I can get one. I didn't realise the pub had one.

"The pub is central and the old timetable was on a placard on the wall of the pub."

Today residents will be having a tipple over the timetable as the display case stands empty with the timetable only available inside.

Speculation was that the timetable should have been in the village notice board which is also in the centre of the village.

But Ms Harward added: "The village notice board is locked and a lady has the key. We wouldn't want the bus timetable in there as it is for notices.

"It should be on the special plaque and we are normally given a bunch which we put in the village hall.

"We have never had a key for the bus one."

At the moment the display outside the pub remains locked and no one knows who has the key. Ms Harward believes responsibility lies with the bus operator.

But Suffolk County Council who operate the Buzabout service in Shotley Peninsula are not the owners of the display.

Peter Lee, policy and marketing manager for public transport at the council said: "I believe First Eastern Counties own the case from previous services.

"It is their property although we have started an agreement with First to collaborate on using their timetable cases.

"I think in Harkstead Buzabout is the only service running."

Tom Oxley, a spokesman for First Eastern Counties said: "Suffolk County Council asked our company to leave up the timetable case when we withdrew from the area a year ago. They altered the times on the route but I don't think they changed the display.

"Our publicity man will be in the area today to sort out the problem and I believe it will be resolved by tomorrow."

For the time being villagers can have one for the road while they wait for a timetable to go up in more conventional place.

Ms Harward insisted: "If we are given a timetable we will put it up."