A bus operator has taken aim at local councils for making it "impossible" to run a punctual route for Derbyshire villages due to consistent roadworks.

When Diamond, owned by Rotala, which runs almost all buses in south Derbyshire, announced last week that it was scrapping the Number 19 bus between Swadlincote in southern Derbyshire and Ashby in Leicestershire, from August 20, it caused fury in the villages along the route.

This included Overseal resident Jake Panniers who regularly uses the route to get to Burton and further afield via the train, at the only remaining nearby railway, and promptly set up a petition calling for the service's re-instatement.

Jake, aged 22, said: "I have used this route since I moved here, I can't afford to learn to drive and so I depend on the bus to get me to places, to go shopping, get my eyes tested, hospital appointments (via a transfer at Burton), go to the pub, everything that Overseal does not have, the busses allow me to access those amenities.

"We have no railways around Swadlincote, so if I want to go to Birmingham or Nottingham, I have to first get the bus to Burton train station.

"If our 19 service no longer exists, everyone suffers. People can't get to work, whether that is locally or further afield, young people can't get to school, elderly people can't go out and socialise, we will be cut off simply because we can't or aren't allowed to drive.

"The only people who win if these changes go ahead is Diamond, everyone else, the users are the ones who lose, who lose their social lives, their jobs, access to healthcare. How is this okay?"

He says the Number 19 is the sole bus service for Netherseal and the only daytime service for Overseal, with a slew of Leicestershire villages also affected, including Albert Village, Donisthorpe, Oakthorpe, Measham and Packington.

Bob Baker, Rotala's managing director, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Ongoing numerous roadworks on one service [are] making it almost impossible to deliver a punctual service.

"There has been a lack of communication between local authorities in relation to poorly planned roadworks across a service that covers more than one shire authority – this is not unique to the East Midlands.

"As a result of the ongoing struggle to deliver the service to timetable we have seen a significant drop in passengers.

"Due to the resource required to try and deliver a punctual service the cost per hour to operate service is unfortunately no longer within the realms that we can sustain.

"Bus operators are heavily regulated to deliver a punctual time table and the view of the Traffic Commissioner – the branch of Government which issues transport licences – is 'if we can't run a service to time, we should not be running it'.

"All passenger data has been provided to the affected local authorities for them to decide whether or not a service can be justified under a tender process."

Derbyshire and Leicestershire county councils oversee the highways and roadworks along the route.

Councillor Charlotte Hill, Derbyshire's cabinet member for highways, said: "I understand that roadworks can be frustrating for bus operators as well as residents, however we do our utmost to manage planned roadworks and let people know about work being carried out.

"We have around 70 sets of roadworks happening on Derbyshire's highways at any one time, and most of these are utility companies managing their infrastructure. These companies are also responsible for letting residents and other organisations know about this work.

"On top of this, there are many emergency repairs to which we have to legally allow so essential services such as water, electricity and telecommunications can be maintained. Unfortunately though, these can lead to some disruption if there are other roadworks happening in the local area.

"Be assured that when coordinating our own works we take lots of factors into consideration, including the traffic management required, other road closures and works happening nearby.

"Before we start work, we also provide information for our contractors to share with local bus operators. And when we finish work early, we will reopen routes as soon as possible.

"Our residents, quite rightly, expect us to maintain and fix our roads and we are working hard to do this but inevitably this will mean some delays for which we apologise. But to keep themselves up to date, bus operators and residents can use our One Network system to plan their journeys."

Leicestershire County Council has not responded to a request for comment as of this article's publication.

Claire Ward, East Midlands Mayor and leader of the East Midlands Combined County Authority, controls public transport for the Derbyshire portion of the route.

Ms Ward said: "Residents recently reached out to me with concerns about the future of the 19 bus service and its vital role in connecting communities, such as Netherseal and Overseal.

"Reliable local buses are essential for access to work, education, appointments, leisure, and onward transport connections.

"While this is an operator decision, we have been taking active steps to protect local connectivity.

"I'm now pleased to share that by working collaboratively between the East Midlands Combined County Authority, and Leicestershire County Council public transport group, we have managed to sort out replacement, and I'm pleased to confirm that there will be no break in service.

"I have been forewarned that there will be some small changes to the timetable, particularly on the Saturday, and when this information becomes available, I will share this.

"The contract will be in place for a year until August 2027 to allow Leicestershire and EMCCA time to consider the long-term options for serving the area and to get a better understanding of the passenger demand."

Councillor Amy Wheelton (Ind), Derbyshire county councillor for the area, called the rescue of the service a "win for people power".

She said the service still needed to be improved but the potential loss had caused a lot of stress, saying it would have been a "disaster".

Cllr Wheelton said: "I have raised the critical need for this service. Many residents from Overseal, Netherseal, North West Leicestershire and Swadlincote need this service to attend schools, colleges, work, hospitals, doctors and it is their only form of transport.

"The lack of accessible and poor public transport has been raised with the Mayor recently.

"We have to ensure this service continues and improve public transport in rural areas which cannot keep being isolated and left behind with ever reducing facilities and services."