Public transport users in the Angus hamlet of Edzell Woods say they have been left marooned by roadworks near their homes.
A five-day diversion has been put in place to allow Aberdeenshire Council to carry out road repairs on the stretch between Bogside, just north of Edzell Woods, and the junction with the B966 Fettercairn to Edzell road.
The works are due to last until Friday and the authority has set up an official diversion route south from the community, back towards the main A90 dual carriageway and then via Causewayend and Fettercairn.
However, the project has led to suspension of the bus service which stops at Edzell Woods and provides what users say is a lifeline link to all parts of Angus and beyond.
Resident Michelle Goodwin said: “This happened before and we were assured that the bus service wouldn’t be stopped if there were more roadworks, but we now have to do without buses for five days.
“It is okay for people who have cars, but this is a well-used bus and quite a few people rely on it to get to their work.
“Edzell Woods is a small community and it’s taken us a long time to get a bus service, but we now have a proper bus stop and a service that goes to Edzell and then into Stracathro Hospital, which has good links to everywhere else.
“We have a strong local community group and after being told by the roads department that this wouldn’t happen again, people are not very happy about us being left without any service.”
An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman said the service operator would have been informed of the roadworks plan to accommodate possible alternative arrangements.
“We try to coordinate works to cause minimum inconvenience, clearly that’s not always possible, but the work has to be done,” they said.
A spokeswoman for Stagecoach Strathtay said: “Due to a road closure at Edzell Woods, between the B966 and Plantingside, service 31 will not be able to operate via Edzell Woods.
“This will affect journeys between Monday June 27 and Friday July 1, or until the road reopens. Any customers requiring travel to Edzell Woods will be able to use Aberdeenshire Council’s A2B service on 01224 664747 during this time.”
