A VITAL hospital bus service for Hampshire's rural elderly has been temporarily written off after a head-on collision.

The once-weekly dial-a-ride service that ferries people from Hamble, Netley, Bursledon and the outskirts of Southampton to the city's Royal South Hants and General hospitals was due to be a relaunched yesterday amid fears that flagging numbers of users could signal its demise.

But moments before its arrival for publicity shots with Eastleigh's mayor, local councillors and users in Hamble Square, the 008 bus - operated by Totton-based Home James Coach Travel and driven by Martin Dawkins - was involved in a collision with a Citroen Xantia on nearby Satchell Lane.

Although nobody was hurt in the crash, both vehicles were written off and the driver of the car, 30-year-old housewife Lee Ingram, was badly shaken.

Her husband Mike was quickly on the scene and put his wife's lucky escape down to the car's airbag, which went off successfully.

Mr Ingram, who lives with his wife and two children in Satchell Lane, said: "Obviously the crash was bad enough to set off the airbag and she's going to have a rough neck. She'll probably be checked over later."

Operations manager for Home James Andy Mitchell confirmed that the bus would not be able to run again until next week, leaving hospital visitors set to use yesterday's service stranded.

Eastleigh mayor Jane Welsh, visiting the site of the crash, said: "The main thing is everybody is all right.

"It's a shame because it's a very good service."

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.