Rail users were left angry this week after a branch line was closed – so trains could be taken to Bristol. Looe mayor Ron Overd branded First Great Western's decision to suspend the Looe Valley Line from Liskeard to supplement transport needs in Bristol as 'ludicrous and disappointing'. Cllr Overd said that he thought the people of Liskeard and Looe had been neglected after the usual rail service was replaced with a bus. 'It is an absolute smack in the eye to the people of Liskeard and Looe that First Great Western should take away our trains to service people in Bristol,' said cllr Overd. A spokesman for First Great Western said the disruption to the service would not carry into next week. The company also confirmed its long-term commitment to branch lines but this week's decision has raised fears that the well-used rail service between the two town's could be lost. 'If the people of Cornwall are deemed not important enough, then who is to say what the future will hold,' said cllr Overd – who reiterated the importance the rail service has to the town. 'The rail line is a huge boost to the tourism industry,' he said. 'Last year, I believe, it carried 78,000 passengers and that is not a group to be sneered at.' Looe county councillor Armand Toms and Menheniot and St Germans county councillor Matt McTaggart were also angry that the decision was taken without any consultation with local representatives. Cllr McTaggart only found out after he was contacted by the media. He said: 'I heard a rumour on Saturday that our trains were being sent to Bristol. 'To my amazement I found out the rumour was true. 'While I appreciate First Great Western may have a problem in the Bristol area, why can't they use buses there instead of taking away our trains?' Sheryll Murray, Conservative parliamentary spokesman for South East Cornwall, said that she has written to Alison Foster, managing director of First Great Western, to request an explanation for the cancellation.