BUS passengers in west Dorset are advised First Wessex's winter timetable starts this Sunday, October 3.

The West Dorset Western Area Transport Action Group (WATAG) says the relevant services affected for the Bridport and Lyme Regis areas are the X51 (Axminster – Lyme Regis – Bridport – Dorchester – Weymouth), X53 (Axminster – Lyme Regis – Bridport – West Bay – Weymouth) and no.6 (Bridport – Beaminster – Crewkerne – Yeovil).

Of particular note are the following:-

• X51 and X53 eastbound Mondays to Saturdays: the majority of services will leave Bridport earlier

• X53: a Sunday service is retained between Weymouth and Lyme Regis

• No. 6: the current 7.12am Beaminster – Bridport service, used by students for Weymouth College, is retimed earlier and will depart at 7am; the corresponding evening return that currently departs Bridport Bus Station at 6.22pm is also retimed earlier and will depart at 6.10pm.

• No. 6: the 4.35pm Yeovil Bus Station – Bridport will call at Yeovil College at 4.45pm on college days

WATAG Chairman Bob Driscoll said: "The retention of a Sunday service between Weymouth and Lyme Regis, via West Bay and Bridport, is extremely good news and we hope that local people will take advantage of it.

"The announcement that Yeovil College is being served by the 16.35 Yeovil Bus Station – Bridport is also excellent news and means that students for Yeovil College, from the Bridport and Beaminster area, are once again able to travel by public transport in both directions."

Details of the revised times are available on the First Wessex website https://www.firstbus.co.uk/wessex-dorset-south-somerset