AN MP has blasted a bus company for altering routes which he claims will take an entire community "off the bus map".

Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Tom Blenkinsop, and Michael Dick, councillor for Brotton on Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, hit out at Arriva for making route alterations which mean the half-hourly 5a bus from Middlesbrough to Brotton will now makes its last stop at Skelton - two and a half miles away.

Labour MP Mr Blenkinsop said: "This is a decision which isolates many people in Brotton. They key issue is that this is the only bus from Brotton that serves one of east Cleveland's largest food stores – the Asda supermarket at Skelton.

"It would also mean that a direct link from the Kilton Lane area of Brotton to Guisborough and Middlesbrough would be lost. In addition, access to Asda would be lost for all residents in Skelton."

Cllr Dick added: "This decision will also mean a steep dip in the number of buses serving urban Teesside and Guisborough from Brotton.

"This will mean passengers being decanted on to the existing number 5 buses, which only run half hourly, or on to the X4 service which is already crowded at peak hours."

Cllr Dick and Mr Blenkinsop said they would be writing to Arriva North-East senior managers, asking that the decision was reviewed, to preserve the current 5a service – and even increasing it, by adding a turnaround at Brotton Hospital, which they argue will help boost passenger numbers.

Nick Knox, Arriva's area managing director, said: “We’re sorry to hear of the concerns raised. Due to passenger numbers on this part of the service, introduced in February 2014, not reaching expectations and following a public consultation in November, we made the decision to stop running the 5a service between Skelton, Asda and Brotton.

"Our Service 5 though is unaffected and continues to run, to an unchanged route and frequency, maintaining the connection between Skelton and Brotton. Skelton also continues to be connected to Asda by Service X3A.”