FLORENCE Park has been left with the worst bus service in its history after a major bus route was rerouted away from the Oxford estate, it has been claimed.

Since last week the number 10 bus no longer goes along Littlehay Road and Rymers Lane in Florence Park, instead travelling along Oxford Road before turning into Between Towns Road then doing a u-turn in Cowley centre, after a special turning circle was laid.

Peter Challis, who lives in Lytton Road and used to regularly take advantage of the service, said: "The withdrawal of this bus service happened without any consultation.

"This week has showed that the new route doesn't save any time. It is probably costing them more time having to have 10 buses an hour making u-turns at Templar Square."

Mr Challis said only one other bus went through Florence Park, the number 16, and it only ran once an hour. The 10 bus had five buses per hour in each direction.

He said: "It is totally inadequate and the 16 is also very unreliable. A lot of people relied on that service, I was a regular user, as were other members of my family and many other people in Florence Park.

"We want our buses back - or at least some of them."

Eighteen months ago Littlehay Road residents raised concerns that doubledecker buses were shaking their houses and Oxford City Council's Cowley area committee called for the doubledecker buses to be replaced with single decks.

But Shah Khan, who represents Florence Park, said: "We want the 10 to go through there - we know a lot of residents use the service, we just don't want the doubledecker buses."

The committee agreed to ask Oxfordshire County Council and Stagecoach if the bus could return to its former route.

Stagecoach spokesman Chris Child said: "Route 10 has undergone many improvements over the last two years with more buses, better access to the John Radcliffe Hospital, more bus priorities, and the extension to the Children's Hospital and west wing in January following passenger requests.

"It was decided that the next step was to speed up journey times, which are increasingly under pressure from congestion."