NORTHWICH and Winsford will lose their Arriva bus services this month after the operator confirmed the date its depots will close.

Arriva North West announced in February it had launched a consultation on closing its Winsford and Macclesfield depots.

The shutting of the depots means Arriva will no longer be operating any bus services in the Northwich, Winsford, Crewe or Macclesfield areas.

Now, following the conclusion of the consultation process, Arriva has announced it will be closing the depots on April 22.

A spokesperson for Arriva North West Bus said: "It is with great regret we announce we are closing our Winsford and Macclesfield depots and will no longer operate any bus services in the Winsford, Northwich, Crewe and Macclesfield areas.

"Our priority throughout this process is that everything runs as smoothly as possible, for both our customers and our colleagues.

"We have put in place support for our colleagues through this difficult time. Arriva have been working with Cheshire East, Cheshire West on routes transitions from Arriva to new operators."

Arriva added both depots had been loss-making since before the pandemic and the number of journeys being taken by passengers in Mid Cheshire has not recovered to the same levels as comparable operations.

The operator said this was coupled with the bus sector facing 'sustained and significant' cost inflation meaning revenue from operations doesn't cover the running costs.

Actions had been taken by Arriva to address these challenges, including launching a largely new network in November 2021, but these steps were unsuccessful in improving the situation.

Alternative operators D&G and Stagecoach will take over operation of some services in the areas, including the 31 Northwich to Crewe; the 37 Northwich to Crewe via Sandbach; and the 84 Crewe to Chester.

Weaver Vale MP Mike Amesbury said: "This depot closure decision has sadly confirmed what we already expected, resulting in the loss of Arriva’s passenger services, not forgetting about job losses in the workforce.

"But while buses remain privatised this cycle will unfortunately repeat itself in Cheshire and across the country. Buses should be run for the public good, not cherry-picked to benefit private shareholders.

"A Labour Government would let all councils take back control of local bus services - as is already happening in Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region - to create an affordable, reliable and integrated network, using the latest eco-friendly vehicles.

"Finally, thank you to the more than 7,500 people who signed the petition against Arriva’s service cuts as it demonstrated just how important buses are to our communities."

Arriva services which will cease operating from April 22

84 Crewe - Nantwich/Chester

6 Leighton Hospital - Shavington

31 Northwich - Winsford - Crewe

37 Northwich - Winsford - Sandbach - Crewe

38 Crewe - Macclesfield

7 Winsford Local Circular

1 Northwich Circular via Rudheath and Weaverham

4 Barnton to Leftwich and Kingsmead via Northwich

3 Macclesfield - Weston

4 Macclesfield - Upton Priory

5 & 6 Macclesfield - Broken Cross

9 Macclesfield - Moss Rose

10 Macclesfield - Bollington