Until July last year, a bus run by Burtons Coaches served the centre of Beck Row but Suffolk County Council changed the route following an incident in Lamble Close.

Since then, OAPs and other passengers have been forced to walk to the edge of the village to catch the re-routed service.

Championing the residents' fight is parish councillor Dave Chandler, who said: "Elderly residents who use the buses now have to walk 15 minutes to the nearest bus stop – it's ridiculous."

Villagers held a meeting last year with county officials to iron out the problem and handed over a 100-signature petition to support their argument. So far, nothing has been done.

"We were told the bus route was changed due to health and safety reasons," said Cllr Chandler.

"But it still manages to go around Heathersett Way and Carnation Way in Red Lodge – roads which are equally as tight as Lamble Close."

Prior to last year's changes, Beck Row Parish Council spent more than £4,000 on a new steel bus shelter on the main road near the Kings' Head pub.

The shelter now stands redundant as no bus services run past the stop.
Fellow parish councillor Edward Barnes said: "The stop is now obsolete and is a complete waste of money.

"Considering the size of the village, we desperately need a bus service to run through the centre of it."

Many of those who struggle to walk to the bus stops now have to rely on taxis, which cost between £6 and £7 to Mildenhall.

In an attempt to get the routes changed, Mr Chandler said he planned to gather residents' signatures supporting a bus service that will serve the whole village and not just select parts of it.

"Should this not work, then I will be forming a Beck Row public transport forum so that residents can look to direct action if needed," he added.

"We need to protect what public transport remains in our rural villages."

A spokesman for Suffolk County Council said: "Changes were made to the Beck Row service over a year ago, because of objections from members of the public and insufficient passenger numbers, making the route uneconomical."