PASSENGERS have slated the move to slash Fareham bus services because of driver shortages.

The reduced service was introduced by bus company First as it tries to bridge a recruitment gap.

Bus users have criticised the measures, saying more should have been done earlier to stop such drastic action being taken.

Routes affected include:

service 31 from Fareham to Fareham College

service 78 from Fareham to Southampton, via Locks Heath

service 1B, spanning Portchester and Portsmouth

service 63 from Fareham to Havant has also been affected on Saturdays.

There are also timetable changes for services 1, 5, and 34, which cover routes spanning Fareham to Gosport and Fareham to Southsea via Portsmouth.

The news comes just weeks after First hired Polish drivers in an attempt to boost driver numbers.

Six were recruited at First and the firm, which pays drivers £7.55 an hour, still hopes to take on 32 in total.

Company spokeswoman Patricia Gray would not say how many drivers were needed altogether, but stressed that there is little they could do to until dozens of drivers are recruited.

She said: "We are experiencing a shortage and it is most acute in Fareham. But we are being very proactive.

"We are attending recruitment fairs, placing advertisements and have recruited Polish drivers to fill the gaps.

"We want to provide a service that meets customer demands."

John Vivian, a Friends of the Earth member who uses a bus to get to Fareham, described the announcement as "diabolical".

He added: "We need to encourage more people to use buses - but when they are cut back it makes it very hard."

Changes to First bus services in Southampton and Portsmouth also took effect from Sunday.