A BUS service in Kidderminster looks set for the axe after passenger numbers have plummeted in recent months.

Diamond Buses said they are facing a difficult decision on whether to cut the No 1 Kidderminster route after the number of people using the service has declined.

The circular service currently runs every half hour from 7.32am to 6.02pm from Kidderminster Bus Station to Stourport Road the Watermill, Rifle Range Teme Avenue, then back to Stourport Road and the bus station.

Residents use the route to get to work, school, shops and services, and the company said it will be greatly missed by regular and occasional users.

A Diamond Bus spokesman said: "We have continued to run the service the best we possibly can, even despite disruptions en-route such as emergency roadworks and extra traffic.

"Passenger numbers have continued to decline, however, so in order to sustain the service and make it more reliable we recently changed the route.

"This change took the bus back into Kidderminster Bus Station more quickly but, despite this, passenger numbers have not improved.

"Commercial services have to reach a certain revenue level to make an effective contribution towards the overheads of the depot.

"This service is not reaching that level any longer and therefore it is not financially viable to run it as it is."

Dawn Badminton-Capps, director of Bus Users England, added: "Diamond Buses is doing everything it can to keep this service running but with so few passengers, it simply isn't viable.

"We need to get the people of Kidderminster out of their cars and back on board to ease congestion, lower pollution and keep the No 1 bus on the road."

For more information about the service, visit diamondbuses.com/services/WorcestershireandWarwickshire_3/1-KidderminsterCircular_351.html.