“GET your act together.”

That was the message from angry pensioners as they grilled transport chiefs after the latest bus cuts in Southampton were announced.

Representatives from First and the city council attended a fiery meeting of the city pensioners’ forum yesterday.

They were accused of “decimating” city bus routes and isolating pensioners in certain areas of the city.

First has announced a number of changes to bus services after a review of usage and the loss of £400,000 in council subsidies for evening and weekend journeys.

The cuts have resulted in services such as the X2 Millbrook Flyer and Service 8A being scrapped and evening journeys on the Service 9 being withdrawn.

At yesterday’s meeting at the Civic Centre First’s business director Chrissie Bainbridge said the firm could no longer run journeys running at a loss, as EU rules forbid them from doing so.

She said the company was operating under big financial pressures, including a cut in bus companies’ Government tax rebate on fuel, saying: “We take no pleasure in taking services off. It’s a bit like the chicken and the egg. If we had customers travelling on the services we would not cut them.

“We are here to make money, that’s what we do.”

Coxford city councillor Don Thomas drew a round of applause as he urged First and the council to “get your act together”.

He said: “I have been inundated with people who are very scared and feel they are going to be isolated in certain parts of Southampton, particularly Lordshill and Lordswood. I think you need to listen to the people here.”

One pensioner asked the speakers: “Why have you allowed these services to be decimated?” before storming out of the meeting.

Barbara Lupton, of Hollybrook Road, said: “I think with this unprecedented meeting and the number of people here today it is clear that you are not serving us.

“People are being confined to their homes because there aren’t any buses.

“It’s not good enough for a go-ahead city like Southampton to have this problem.”

The changes to the routes will take place on June 30, with new timetables available from Thursday.