Dear Sir,

It appears that if you own your home, go out to work and pay your bills on time, you automatically become ‘the enemy’ to Durham County Council (DCC).

Anyone with children at Greenfield School? Thought about how they will get to school after the No 8 bus is withdrawn on Sunday 28th?

Bet you are really glad that DCC decided to withdraw their subsidy on this route and buy us all new bins instead. Looks like no one in Woodham will be using any of the many new businesses on the Aycliffe Industrial Park. When the No 4 to Bishop Auckland was stopped, we could at least get the No 8 to Byerley Park school and then get the No 5 to Bishop Auckland (even though this made the journey over 1 hour long for, what is, a 15 minute car journey (if you have one). Can’t even do that now.  Have to go all the way into the Town Centre and get the No. 5 making it an even longer journey.

A problem if you have a hospital appointment at Bishop.

Will people even bother going shopping in Bishop? I think not. Goodbye to the 7A too. No more trips to the Arnison Centre. Are our local Woodham councillors beating a path to DCC to argue all this for us? What do you think? We were not even able to attend the meeting scheduled for 24th at Ladybower because the No. 8 doesn’t run after 5.30pm so we cannot get home.

Then there’s the No 7 bus, which is always late, (when it bothers to arrive) and usually breaks down just as it gets to Ferryhill. We are told these will run more frequently (stifled laugh there).

The stock is so poor that when it is raining outside, the buses leak through the roof inside. They have also sneakily changed the number of people allowed on: look next time you are lucky to find a No 7. They now allow 20 standing passengers. Nice to stand squashed all the way to Durham every day at only £25.50 per week. Except in the winter. The roads aren’t gritted (another bonus) so they won’t come through Woodham. I wonder if this is why there are so many ‘For Sale’ signs going up.

No basic infrastructure to support residents. Good idea building even more homes then. You couldn’t make it up, could you!

Sue, Woodham.