BUS passengers in and between Winchester and Eastleigh will have to use a new service at the end of the month.

The E1 and E2 buses which run between Winchester and Eastleigh will be replaced with a new less frequent Service 61 from Monday, October 30.

The changes are part of Hampshire County Council’s £372,940 tender covering contracts in Eastleigh, Romsey and the New Forest.

Service 61 will run Monday to Saturday, with frequency ranging from hourly to two hourly. The new timetable is available to view online. 

While passengers from Colden Common and Brambridge will have a more frequent and direct service to Eastleigh, stops will no longer include Compton and Otterbourne.

READ MORE: Hampshire County Council approves new bus contracts

Bus users travelling to Eastleigh, from Compton and Otterbourne, will instead need to use BlueStar 1 and change to 61 at St Cross.

Most journeys will follow the existing E1 route between Winchester and Allbrook but will then run direct into Eastleigh along the existing E2 route via Twyford Road. 

Some peak journeys will continue to serve the existing route through Broadlands Avenue and Shakespeare Road at Boyatt Wood.

Services H1/H2, T3/T4, 35 and 634 in Romsey will remain the same.