WHEN you change bus service you have to be very careful - you are playing with people's lives.That's not the verdict of a misty-eyed bus enthusiast - it's the considered view of former Ipswich Buses managing director Barry Moore, someone who spent his entire life working in the public transport industry.

WHEN you change bus service you have to be very careful - you are playing with people's lives.

That's not the verdict of a misty-eyed bus enthusiast - it's the considered view of former Ipswich Buses managing director Barry Moore, someone who spent his entire life working in the public transport industry.

And the accuracy of that statement has been clearly shown today as The Evening Star's e-mail inbox is full of letters protesting about the decision to cut services in an attempt to boost profits for Ipswich Buses' owner - the borough council.

We have already had 13 e-mailed messages, and on a subject like this we expect to get many more letters in the post over the next few days.

This is clearly an issue that affects a great many people - and the decision to starve the company of the cash it needs to run its less-popular services could well come back to haunt the ruling administration.

The slow bus to Whitton might not always be full. It might not be the most efficient way to travel from Macauley Road to Tower Ramparts.

But if you can't walk far and live at the top of the Dales it is your lifeline. It is the difference between existing at home and living to the full by travelling in to town to meet your friends, visit the library, and live life to the full.

Those who lose that lifeline could well remember who was responsible for that loss when elections come around in May - and with 16 seats up for grabs Labour could well make a strong comeback in many of the seats it needs to regain power.

And that could make life uncomfortable for some councillors involved in the decision to take nearly £1 million in profits from their bus company.

COUNCILS should look at ways of saving money, but Suffolk Coastal's latest efficiency scheme - switching off the resort's street lights at midnight - could be a recipe for disaster.

In these days when people are out 24 hours a day they need reasonable street lights at night - especially along the front where there are extra hazards.

What is going to happen when someone leaves a pub or club late at night and can't see the promenade edge because it is unlit?

And how will councillors feel if a pedestrian is not see by a driver in the dark, or someone is attacked in dark corner of the resort.

Efficiency is one thing, but such decisions must not affect public safety and this daft proposal is a cut too far.

TODAY we bring you pictures of an amazing blue tit that manages to forage for food despite an astonishing problem with its beak.

Whether the beak is deformed, or the bird has caught something in it that cannot be dislodged is still being hotly debated.

What is clear is that it seems able to cope - scooping up food from feeders and bird tables. And that's good news for all who like to see these attractive birds in their gardens.