CLAIMS over a poor bus service between Bradford on Avon and Melksham have been dismissed.

Wiltshire County Council has rejected demands from Councillor Terry Chivers to subsidise the route arguing that it already does.

A spokesperson for the council said: "There are six journeys between Bradford on Avon and Melksham each day and the service costs £3.10.

"The service has been subsidised by the rural bus service fund and has been for the last two years."

The request for a better bus link between the two towns comes after a Melksham resident spent three hours travelling the five miles.

Cllr Chivers said: "I have been contacted by a resident who was very unhappy at the time and the cost of the journey.

"He first had to travel from Melksham to Trowbridge and then on from Trowbridge to Bradford on Avon, he was so fed up that on the return trip he just couldn't face it and took a taxi back at the cost of ten pounds.

"I have been unhappy for a long time that there is no link between those two towns; they have so much in common and local residents travel between the two for work and shopping."

But Wiltshire County Council argue research suggests otherwise.

The spokesman said: "We have found that people in Bradford on Avon are more likely to travel to Trowbridge and Bath while people in Melksham prefer to go to Chippenham or Swindon."