ELDERLY residents in a part of Poole say they feel “under curfew” from a lack of evening bus services.

The Dale Valley area of Oakdale is effectively cut off once its only service to the town centre stops at around 7pm.

There are no buses at all on Sundays and Bank Holidays, making it virtually impossible for the majority of older residents to reach a church or the hospital.

Roger Philpott, who lives on Dale Valley Close, said: “I live less than three miles from the centre of the 35th biggest settlement in the country and I can’t get a bus after 7pm.

“The majority of the people who lives around here are over 55 and a lot rely on the buses.”

Yellow Buses, who run the number 26 – the only route to serve Dale Valley – said there was currently not enough demand for an evening service.

The bus company also said there was no truth in the rumour the service was about to be re-routed.

Jenni Wilkinson, marketing chief at Yellow Buses, said market research had been carried out recently in the area but that it was only with a view to improving services.

“While services can never be guaranteed until the end of time, we are simply looking at options to improve the route,” she added.

Mr Philpott, 66, said there was also a strong feeling among residents that other routes were over-served while Dale Valley was reliant on just one service.

“There seems to be a lot of wastage in the area,” he said. “You see M1 and M2 buses driving in convoy between Poole and Bournemouth.”