JOBS could be put at risk by changes to a bus service that is used by workers to a travel to a country hotel, it has been warned.

The number 12 service operated by Go Northern previously allowed employees at Walworth Castle, on the outskirts of Darlington, to be dropped off at the gates.

But the route has now been "straightened" to bypass the village of Walworth and head on towards other communities in south west Durham.

Annette Ross, who is a receptionist at the hotel, said the alterations meant that she and other workers will now face a 20-minute walk along unlit, flooding-prone country roads.

The bus which takes her from Woodland Road in the town centre will now stop at a crossroads on the road out of Darlington towards Summerhouse. The changes are coming into effect tomorrow.

"Three weeks ago I heard rumours that they were changing the route, but there were no posters on the buses, or at the bus stop," said Ms Ross.

"It will be a 20-minute walk to the castle on a largely unlit, unpaved road which can flood. This affects me and several of my colleagues.

"We are likely to lose our jobs over this. We all start at different times as well, so we cannot think about sharing taxis."

The bus company said there had been discussions with Durham County Council about the Walworth link.

A spokesman said: "They advised us that Darlington Borough Council was going to provide a service to cover that link, so as far as we were concerned that link was still going to be sustained."

However, the borough council said the 12A service run by Go Northern would not be diverting to Walworth and would only have a drop-off point on the Darlington road. It added that the changes had been publicised.

A spokeswoman said that at the start of next year the authority would be working with bus operators to look at potential routes to Walworth