YOUNG workers could be locked out of jobs in Winchester city centre if evening buses stop running, civic chiefs were warned.

Four city routes are at risk after Hampshire County Council cut its subsidies for late services.

Winchester's 1, 3, 5 and Spring buses could all stop at 7pm unless commercial providers find a way to keep them running without council funding.

Cllr Anne Weir told full council on Thursday that young people who can't afford to live in the city centre would miss out on job opportunities in the growing evening economy if they couldn't use public transport.

The county council has dropped evening and weekend services across Hampshire in an attempt to cut £1.5 million from its transport budget.

Winchester transport chief Cllr Mike Southgate said the cuts didn't “automatically” mean services would stop and the city council is considering making its own contributions.

“Part of the discussions we're having with Stagecoach is trying to identify how much it would cost if you can it in a different way,” he said.

Stagecoach and Bluestar are expected to outline the future of their services in the next fortnight.

But Andrew Dyer, managing director of Stagecoach south, told the Echo it was “very unlikely” its late buses would continue without council cash.

“They're not busy services,” he said. “They do rely on that financial support.”

County bosses decided to protect rural services at the expense of evening and weekend buses in urban areas after thousands of residents responded to a survey.

Cllr Southgate told the meeting: “Country routes are largely untouched. Cynically, that's because they were cut last time.”