THE changing of a vital bus route has caused chaos, a councillor has claimed.
Buses coming through Northop Hall have been temporarily redirected due to roadworks being carried out in the village.
The roadworks are for resurfacing work on Village Road and buses now stop outside Northop Hall Cricket Club.
Tony Sharps, councillor for Northop Hall, has said the new bus stop is placed in a difficult position for elderly residents to reach, and that alternatives should have been discussed.
He said: “The bus stop is at the cricket ground which is a mile away at the top of the hill and it means people have to walk up the hill.
“There are a lot of elderly people who use the buses who will struggle to get to the bus stop.”
The councillor felt the changes were also going to cause problems for children travelling to school.
He added: “It’s affected the whole village.”
He said consultations should have been made with residents to discuss alternatives.
“There are alternative routes that could be taken which would cause a lot less disruption.
“Or, you could put traffic management in place with traffic lights for a one way system,” he said.
“It would mean one way but it would make sure public transport and private residents could continue using the roads.”
A Flintshire Council spokesman said: “We are aware of concerns about temporary changes to the bus service due to resurfacing work on part of Village Road, Northop Hall.
“Arrangements have now been made to enable buses to turn in St Mary's Drive.
“This will extend the available bus service further into the village.
“It has not been possible however, to extend the service to the Wepre Lane end of the village because of the extra time it would take for buses to turn which would affect the timing of the service along the route outside the village.”