First it was the banks.

Now frustrated Christchurch residents have called for bus services to be nationalised and said they have been so isolated by recent Wilts & Dorset cutbacks that some have attempted to sell their homes.

At a meeting of the West Christchurch Residents’ Association, chairman Jim Biggin told residents: “There is nothing anyone in this hall can do about this. We are impotent.

“We have written and spoken to the company but they don’t talk to us.

“The company are only interested in running buses down main roads for people who buy tickets and are only answerable to their shareholders.

“The only answer I can see is for some change in the law and for full nationalisation of the buses to give local authorities some more influence.”

Campaigner Ian Wright, who has been calling on Wilts & Dorset to restore the full service now lost to the River Way and Hurn Road route, said he knew of people who had tried to sell their homes because of the lack of buses.

Ward councillor Sue Spittle said Christchurch Borough Council had been negotiating with Wilts & Dorset for an improved service though River Way but had not yet received a reply.

Wilts & Dorset’s public relations manager Chris Harris said: “Bus services have been provided by private enterprise, with a remit to operate commercially, for over 20 years.

“During this period what had been a gentle but steady decline in patronage under state ownership has been turned around, and we are seeing the use of buses grow in a number of areas.

“Operation in a commercial environment has led to innovations and improvements in services, and where the usage justifies it there has been considerable new investment,” he added.

And Mr Harris said it was too early to comment on reports that residents’ concerns may be taken into account when drafting the new summer timetable.