COMMUNITY transport users in East Lancashire are facing disruption after the service operator announced it was going into liquidation.

Council bosses said they were trying to keep disruption to a minimum after Blackburn-based Community Wheels Ltd stopped services.

Alongside another company, Dial a Ride, Community Wheels Ltd runs a minibus service in Blackburn and Darwen to pick up people who do not have access to regular public transport.

Community Wheels Ltd has also been running the Rossendale Dial-a-Bus service and the Burnley BEST Dial-a-Ride taxi service since March.

But yesterday callers to the company’s hotline were played a recorded message saying there was nobody available.

The news is a blow to Blackburn with Darwen council, which recently launched a new community transport service with a single contact number for users to call.

Tory regeneration chief Alan Cottam said: “We were working with Community Wheels and other operators as part of the community transport pilot.

"The pilot was aimed at improving both the efficiency and quality of the service for customers.

“It is unfortunate that Community Wheels are not able to continue.

"We have made provision with other operators and the council’s own fleet to ensure that disruption to the service is kept to a minimum.”

Tim Gornall, group manager for bus services at Lancashire County Council, said: “We would like to apologise for any incon-venience to customers who have been affected by the temporary loss of these services.

“The council is working hard to secure a replacement operator as soon as possible, but unfortunately there will be a gap in service until new arrangements are put in place.”

Mr Gornall said individual users of the two services would be contacted to explain the situation.

The Dial a Bus service in Rossendale operates between 9am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday, providing access to shopping, social events and family visits for people unable to use regular buses, trains and taxis. Passengers must pre-book journeys and be a member of the scheme.

Burnley BEST started in 2005 thanks to a government funding grant, and County Hall stepped in earlier this year when the grant ran out.

The service provides a pre-booked service for residents of Burnley and Pendle to help them access work and training.

Brian Todd, of Blackburn with Darwen’s Older People’s Forum, said problems had been created by having two different companies running the service.

He said: “It is always very sad when a voluntary sector organisation goes into liquidation, but on the other hand it might help us to get a proper service off the ground.”