Families visiting loved ones in a Northwood hospital may be forced to leave early after a bus company decided to axe late services.

The number 8 service, which runs from Abbots Langley to Mount Vernon Hospital, is to be axed after 7.30pm Monday to Saturday.

This could leave South Oxhey, which has more than 5,000 households, without a bus service after 7.30pm and health chiefs have warned that it may affect families visiting patients at the Rickmansworth Road hospital.

However, they did stress the majority of staff travel to Mount Vernon Cancer Centre by car.

Arriva has taken the decision to slash the service after Hertfordshire County Council withdrew their subsidies for that service.

The bus company pointed towards a “significantly lower” use of the number 8 service as the reason why they could not run it commercially on their own.

Four services will now be chopped, and this includes the 8.30pm, 9.30pm, 10.30pm and 11.30pm services.

Arriva, in a statement, said: “Previously, our last commercial journey was at 19:20pm, Monday to Friday. As a result of the withdrawal of funding to support the evening services we have moved this journey to 1930pm Monday to Saturday and slightly later on Sundays.

“HCC are funding the outward journey from Woodside to Mount Vernon Hospital and that forms the return journey at 19:30pm.

“Service 10 will have an hourly Woodside to Watford Town Centre and hourly from Watford Town Centre to Holywell but not through journeys.

“The last journey from Woodside, which is at 22:48pm daily and to Woodside, 23:18pm (town centre) daily. The last journey from Holywell 2240 daily and to Holywell 2227 (town centre) daily.

“On the 320 service, most journeys continue with 3 services withdrawn: 23:19pm Rickmansworth to Garston (Mon-Sat) 22:55pm Hemel to Watford and 23:19pm Rickmansworth to Garston (Sun)

“The continuation of late journeys on service 10 & 320 are at our commercial risk however due to significantly lower usage, we could not make a case for service 8.”

One ward in the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre is open to visitors throughout the day, but ward eleven inside the cancer centre closes of to visitors at 8pm. Visiting hours in the Edmunds Ward start at 6pm and finish at 8pm and visiting hours at the Trinity Ward start at 6.30pm and finish at 8pm.

Peter Jackson, of Eastbury Road, criticised the decision, describing it as “crazy”.

He said: “We have already lost the number 2 service and the number 8 has been reduced.

“The bus stop is extremely busy with people who do not have access to cars because they are disabled or for a number of different reasons.

“Watford General Hospital is well served, but Mount Vernon is not. Again, how do people without cars get to Mount Vernon hospital?

“It will restrict their ability to go and see their loved ones.”

In a statement, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, said: “The majority of services at the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre are provided to patients during the normal working week, so any curtailment of evening bus services are very unlikely to affect our staff or our patients - the majority of whom arrive on site by car.

“Whilst there are some inpatient services, the number of staff involved is not large and they either live on site already in the accommodation blocks or travel to work by car.

It may be that some patients' visitors may be affected if they use bus services to get home after visiting times end, but it is our understanding that given the cancer centre's location, the majority come by car.”