Bristol bus route cash 'should be halted'

A campaign group has called for spending on a proposed bus route to be halted ahead of an inspector's report.

The £50m Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route would link Ashton Vale with Temple Meads and the city centre.

But a decision over the plans is currently being made by an independent inspector following a public inquiry.

The Stop BRT2 group said Bristol City Council was committing "huge resources" to the scheme while the council said it had a "strong and robust" case.

Pip Sheard from Stop BRT2 said: "It is anticipated that the inspector's report and the secretary of state's decision could take up to a further six months.

"Despite lack of information on the proposal, the public are waking up to the threat and opposition is growing."

A statement from the West of England Partnership - a group of councils in the area - said: "The rapid transit programme is proceeding as planned.

"We wait to hear from the independent planning inspector with the result of the public inquiry.

"Until then our position is that we have a strong and robust case that has the support of over 100 local businesses, despite the campaigners who would wish to halt any investment on new buses with green technology."