A BUS company has been criticised for changes to services it is introducing next week.

The moves by Sunderland-based Arriva will see the withdrawal of the 235 bus between Durham and Middlesbrough from Monday.

Alternative services will be provided by services 55, 56, 57 and the X1and X2 operating to revised timetables.

But a resident of Trimdon Station, Tony Weir, says his grown-up children will face difficulties getting to work.

His daughter, Amanda works at Durham University's Mountjoy Research Centre and can catch the 235 direct to Durham. His son, Jonathan, an IT technician, gets to work in Middlesbrough on the 214.

Mr Weir said the withdrawal of the 235 meant that his daughter would have to walk to Trimdon Colliery to get a bus to Sedgefield where she could catch the Durham-bound X1.

The 214 would no longer go to Middlesbrough, but terminate at Stockton, and his son might have to get off at Sedgefield to catch a direct bus.

He said service 55 was replacing part of the route of the 235, but would not stop at Trimdon Station. "My daughter will have to walk a mile to the next village to get a connecting bus. As well as adding to her journey times to and from work, I don't think it will be very safe on the dark mornings.''

An Arriva spokeswoman said: "Changes to services have been made to simplify the network and to remove duplicate services where they exist. For example, the 235 service is being withdrawn because it is replaced along most of its journey by service 55.

Bus timetable information is available by calling Arriva on 08701 20 10 88, Traveline on 0870 608 2 608 or at www.arrivabus.co.uk