A BUS firm has defended its service diversions in the wake of the closure of a York city centre street, following criticism from an elderly York Hospital outpatient.

Gillygate, the main route from the city centre to the hospital, closed on Monday for up to a fortnight to allow Yorkshire Water to carry out improvements to an old water mains.

George Ward, 87, from Pocklington, contacted The Press to say that he had an appointment at the hospital, and decided to go for a ‘reccy’ trip on Monday to see if he would be able to get there by a First York bus.

He said that after arriving in York by bus, he went to Stonebow to catch the number 6 bus, which normally dropped him off near the hospital entrance en route to Wigginton.

But this time the bus went down Bootham, and then along Burton Stone Lane and on to Clifton, and then returned to the city centre again without going anywhere near the hospital, and he wondered what to do when visiting the hospital today.

First York managing director Marc Bichtemann said some of services, including 6, 1, 5 and 56,had been diverted because of Gillygate’s closure,but the firm had put in place different options to ensure suitable access to the hospital.

He said: “We’re sorry to hear that one of our customers has had difficulty accessing the hospital due to the diversion, but we do have alternative services available that may be more suitable.

“Diverting service 6 to serve the hospital would mean it would not serve the city centre and would also result in no buses serving York Theatre Royal.”

He said customers on number 6 could alight at Duncombe Barracks on Burton Stone Lane and walk along Grosvenor Road and across a railway footbridge to the hospital.

“Service 1 and 5 offers step free access to the hospital and customers can alight at Clarence Street and walk across to the hospital on Wigginton Road,” he said.

“Interchange between 1, 5 and 6 at will be available at The Stonebow.”