BUS services are likely to be axed or reduced as Durham County Council tries to stem the rising cost of subsidising operators.

The Labour-run authority's cabinet will be advised on Thursday to cancel ten services and cut back more than 60 others - mainly in evenings and at weekends - to halt a projected overspend of £700,000 on the £3.5m budgeted for providing services that would otherwise be uneconomic for companies to run.

A report blames rising transport costs and a national trend in falling bus use, and admits the move will lead to a further decline in passengers.