IN all levels of Government – from Parliament to parish council – the public are being bombarded with demands to urgently change lifestyles in order to reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment. Leaflets are posted through our letterboxes and advertisements appear on the TV and radio – all to emphasise the authorities' wish to push forward their policies on 'green' issues. High on this agenda has been the need to reduce car emissions by encouraging the use of public transport. Here in South East Cornwall the result of this lofty aspiration was for First buses to cut the X8/76 Callington to Bude service in half. One bus per hour became one bus every two hours. This happened about three years ago. On May 20 this year the service was reduced yet again. One bus every two hours became one bus every three hours. Launceston and Bude, two major Cornish towns and enormously important to the tourist industry, have effectively been cut off from Plymouth. This area has two of the largest employers in Cornwall (Ginsters in Callington and Kensey Foods in Launceston) and the workforce have no bus service to meet with the regular shift starting times. Dozens of cars stream down from Bude in the north and up from Plymouth in the south and the areas in between, almost all with a single person in each car. This letter questions why the subject of the environment and public transport is being preached by our MPs and our county council, whilst exactly the opposite is happening with regard to our bus services. This service has been allowed to deteriorate to the extent that it is in danger of going out of existence. The service needs to be overhauled to meet the needs of the local population, with a revision of the timetable, increased subsidy and price reductions to encourage more use. The last cut in the 76 service was appalling. This one is totally unacceptable and I expect a very good explanation from First buses and Cornwall County Council as to why this has been allowed to happen. The prices on this route have gone up more than 50 er cent and the service has been reduced by more than 50 per cent which I can only be describe as a pitiful performance. It is time to implement some of the big talk with action.

BRYAN PIPE Treburley