A COMMUNITY group has said that a rural Cumbrian village is set to be plunged into further 'isolation' amid plans to scrap its only bus.

Following an annual review by Stagecoach, the 73 bus which served the village of Ireby twice a day on Saturdays between April and October will be scrapped and replaced by a new service, the 509, which will operate 'weekends and bank holidays and provides seven journeys a day between Keswick, Aira Force, and Penrith via Pooley Bridge'.

Another new service, the 553, will run between Keswick and Carlisle via Caldbeck, with these new routes set to come into operation in Summer 2024.

Despite the introduction of these new routes, the village of Ireby will no longer have a service that passes through the village, with the nearest stops on the new routes being around three miles away in Mealsgate and Castle Inn.

Malcolm Boswell is a member of the Black Lion Community Group which is attempting to purchase the village pub in a move that would safeguard a community asset and prevent increasing levels of rural isolation.

However, Malcolm believes that the scrapping of the village's only bus service will have an impact on this isolation.

He said: "You will be aware of the plethora of reports on the adverse impact on mental and physical wellbeing linked to rural isolation, exacerbated by our ageing demographic.

"They all document the absence of public transport as a major contributory factor to worsening health and wellbeing. 

"At least we don't have to worry about missing the bus anymore. There is no bus. If you look at the route, you will see that our nearest stops are Mealsgate and Castle Inn, both just under 3.5 miles away down country lanes."

In response to the concerns raised by the community group, David Rich, head of commercial at Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire, explained why the decision has been taken and apologised to the 'small number' of bus users in Ireby. 

He said: "In 2023, the 73 service was a summer seasonal service operating twice per day on Saturdays only between Carlisle and Keswick, continuing to Patterdale and forming part of our Lakes by Bus network. 

"All of the timetables across our network are reviewed before the start of the next summer season in order to make sure that services remain reliable and reflect the journeys people are making across the Lake District with amendments being made where necessary.

"Following this review, the 553 service will no longer operate via Hesket Newmarket or Ireby.

"We make sure our routes continue to be relevant to current travel patterns. We apologise to the small number of customers in Hesket Newmarket or Ireby who may be inconvenienced by this change."