THURROCK Council has been handed a petition calling for the 200 bus service to be reinstated in Stifford Clays.

Bus company First decided to take Stifford Clays out of its 200 route, as it said there was a low demand for the service and it was not commercially viable. But Labour ward councillor Angie Gaywood said residents relied on the service to get to Orsett and Basildon hospitals, and had been left stranded since it was pulled.

She said she had organised meetings with First to try and get the service reinstated, but the company had refused.

Handing in a 239-signature petition to the council, she urged the authority to “ensure the residents of Stifford Clays can access their local hospitals” by working to restore a bus service to the area.