TWO of the three West Somerset bus services due to be axed tomorrow (Saturday) got a last-minute reprieve this week – but only for two months.

And it is to give local councils a chance to find funding to keep buses on the road after December.

First Bus subsidiary Buses of Somerset was set to cancel its number 10 Minehead-Porlock service and the Minehead 101 town service before a compromise was thrashed out at a private meeting with the company and county and local councils on Monday.

As a result, Buses of Somerset has agreed to operate a reduced joint 10 and 101 service for two months at their own financial risk while Minehead Town Council, Porlock, and Selworthy and Minehead Without parish councils seek funding to support a permanent replacement bus service.

Hailing the scheme as “ground-breaking” and the first of its kind in Somerset, a county council spokesman said the new partnership should secure the future of a key local service.

Full story in Friday’s Free Press