BUS services in Hampshire face further cutbacks this year, the Daily Echo can reveal.

Nine services, including the Countywide Winchester to Basingstoke route, the Solent Blue Line 7a Bishop's Waltham to Southampton Sunday service, and First's Fareham ShoppaBus, are due to be axed by county transport bosses in a bid to save more than £234,000. The cuts would affect nearly 27,000 passengers.

Council chiefs are also reviewing the Solent Blue Line and Wilts and Dorset shared service linking Southampton with Cadnam and Lyndhurst, which could result in radical timetable changes.

Under threat The services under threat are among the routes Hampshire routes run under contract between the county council and bus operators because they are not money-making.

Contract services are generally those in rural areas, or in towns and cities at nights and weekends.

Last year, services across the county were drastically pruned back when dozens of services across the county were axed.

Services connecting Winchester with surrounding rural areas such as Springvale and Kings Worthy as well as routes connecting the New Forest towns of Lymington and New Milton with Bournemouth also ceased operating after last October's cutbacks.