OUTRAGED residents have launched a campaign to stop a bus firm changing a busy hospital route and leaving elderly residents facing a daily struggle.

Families on the Brookhouse Estate in Crewe are calling on the Arriva bus company to reverse a decision to alter its Number Six route.

The service, which runs from the Crewe Bus Station to Leighton Hospital, is being diverted to avoid a number of narrow roads clogged by parked cars.

But residents say changing the route will leave many elderly people facing a long walk just to reach the nearest stop.

Dave Williams, secretary of the Gresty Brook Resident's Association, is urging Arriva to work together with Cheshire County Council and the police to solve the problem.

He said: 'Changing the route is ridiculous. There are a lot of elderly people who will struggle to go about their daily lives if the service goes.

Mr Williams says he finds the decision to change the route 'astonishing', especially after the council have spent thousands of pounds upgrading the route with new kerbs and shelters.

Arriva bosses say changes, which will take effect from September 1, are part of creating a 'direct route' which will be extended to include Shavington.