VILLAGERS have got a direct bus service to Durham and its hospital and Arnison shopping centre.

Three parish councils have won Countryside Agency funding for a year under the Vital Villages Parish Transport Scheme. Durham County Council is also providing cash and the first 176 bus from the Lumley area, which took to the roads on Monday.

Bournmoor, Great Lumley and Little Lumley parish councils bid to launch the first scheme of its kind in County Durham.

Until now local residents have had to change at Chester-le-Street, making a journey of more than an hour.

The new Monday-to-Friday service, which starts at Fencehouses, takes 38 minutes to reach Durham, calling at stops including Bournmoor, Woodstone Village, Great Lumley, Cocken, the Arnison Centre, Framwellgate Moor and Aykley Heads. It operates three times a day to the city - an early morning service for workers and a mid-morning and lunchtime service for shoppers and hospital users - while there are two return journeys.

Durham county councillor Brian Walker, also chairman of Great Lumley Parish Council, said: "By joining forces and working closely with the Countryside Agency and the county council, we have managed to develop a scheme which will give locals direct access to a range of important services in the city.

"I hope this service is extremely well used. We have managed to secure funding for a one-year pilot scheme but the more people that make use of it then the more chance we have of continuing the service in future years."