NEW bus services in East Dorset are set to offer a partial replacement for those controversially axed in January.

A direct link between West Moors and Bournemouth is to be restored by the Verwood Bus Company after Wilts & Dorset called time on its service last month.

And passengers will again be able to catch Bournemouth-bound buses on routes through Victoria Road and Glenmoor Road in Ferndown, and Ellesfield Drive in West Parley.

But services will not run daily, or during school holidays.

The V1 service runs from Verwood to Bournemouth and Poole on Fridays.

The service links West Moors, Ferndown and Parley with Bournemouth, Westbourne, Poole Hospital and the town's Dolphin Centre.

A re-routed V1 service began on February 26, and runs from The Avenue in West Moors to Bournemouth on schooldays.

Verwood Bus boss Andy Wood said the services were provided without financial support and would depend on passenger numbers.

Council refunds for journeys made using pensioner bus passes would also be critical to the future of services, said the operator.

"Like all bus companies, the service will very much depend on proper reimbursement for pensioner bus passes," said Mr Wood.

West Moors bus campaigner Jenny Harbar gave a cautious welcome to the new services, but warned that significant gaps remained.

"The huge reservation is that there is still no service from West Moors to Bournemouth Hospital," said Mrs Harbar.

Dorset County Council's public transport boss, Peter Impett, welcomed the new services.

"Significantly, the services will operate via Glenmoor Road and Ellesfield Drive in Ferndown and Parley, an area which had been left bereft of services," said Mr Impett.

"Residents of these areas will now be able to catch a bus to Bournemouth and Poole, if only once or twice per week, without having to walk to the main road," he added.