Furious residents say changes to a popular bus route have left them stranded.

Elderly travellers in Coates Way and Bridger Close had relied on the 621 bus to travel to Watford town centre, supermarkets, and medical appointments.

But their routines were shattered at the end of last month when the service, provided by Hatfield firm Uno, was re-routed.

The company later explained in a letter that the bus’s route, which runs to and from Hatfield, St Albans and Watford, had been shortened in the Garston area “to improve overall timekeeping” and allow for further stops in Hatfield for university students.

Those who rely on the bus further down the line, however, now face lengthy, uphill walks of more than half-a-mile to the nearest alternative shops.

Yvonne Pratt, 73, said: “We are all very angry about it. We are all over 70 and this is just not right. It is very hard for us to walk all the way over to the other bus stops, especially with heavy shopping bags. People aren’t going out because of it.”

Eight-one-year-old Molly Leeks added: “My husband is blind and I rely on that bus to take him everywhere; to the supermarket, to town and to the doctors. There’s just no alternative to it.”

Ray East, 70, who has penned numerous letters of protest about the change, added: “There are so many older people who rely on this because they don’t have cars.

"It would cost them £20 each to get into town and people can’t afford that. The government is always telling us to use public transport but things like this make it impossible.”

Rival operator Arriva, after discussions with Hertfordshire County Council and Watford Borough Council, has since agreed to extend the route of the 346 Woodside circular to collect passengers in Coates Way.

This service, however, will not begin until October 18 and will force passengers bound for the hospital or town centre to change at the Asda supermarket.

Uno general manager Michel Finn said the company had been in consultation with Hertfordshire County Council since June about the changes but conceded that the changes could have been communicated better with residents. It was the job of local authorities, he added, to seek replacement routes."