ELDERLY residents of Milton House, Church Road, Newton Abbot, and others have been left waiting for the bus that never comes.

Until a month ago, they happily caught a bus into town from outside the building, and hopped on it for the return journey.

Everything was tickety-boo until Church Road was resurfaced – and that is when their troubles began.

Vehicles always used to park on the east side of Church Road, but when the resurfacing was completed they began parking on both sides and buses had difficulty getting through and now take a detour via Forde Park. Lorries have also become stuck. Wendy Smith, who lives in Forde Park, and Tony Pickford, the warden of Milton House, have been trying every channel available to get yellow lines painted and the number 75 bus route reinstated, but so far have drawn a blank. 'The police have their hands tied until double yellow lines are put down and we are told it is all waiting on a council meeting, but have not been told when that is. 'There is now what the police describe as "obstructive parking" in the whole length of the road, which has left insufficient width to get a bus through and the drivers, quite rightly refuse to try it,' said 82-year-old Mrs Smith. She added that, as well as being elderly, some of the residents of Milton House were disabled and were now expected to walk to Forde Park, beyond the capabilities of some of them, particularly if they were returning with heavy shopping. Mrs Smith pointed out that there was no notification that there was going to be a bus detour, and when it was introduced some of the residents had waited more than a hour before realising it was not going to turn up. 'On their return journey they are now dropped off in one of the most dangerous spots imaginable, at the junction of five fast moving roads – Forde Park, Church Road, Decoy Road, Coach Road and the second Forde Park. 'Waiting for the bus outside Milton House is a cold and bitter experience and tiring for the elderly as the bus is frequently late due to the amount of traffic as it negotiates Penn Inn,' she said. Ironically Mrs Smith has purchased a memorial seat in memory of her husband Gordon, and it was installed outside Milton House on Thursday last week where residents could sit while waiting for the bus. Mr Pickford said it was important the bus route was reinstated as soon as possible. 'At the moment residents have to cross a busy road where five roads converge, taking their lives in their hands each time,' he said. A spokeswoman for Country Bus Service, who run the hourly number 75 via Newton Abbot-Decoy-Newtake, said they were still waiting on Devon County Council's Local Service Group to take action. 'As soon as the yellow lines are completed the service will return to normal,' she said. In a letter to Mrs Smith the DCC's Newton Abbot Local Service Group said after the resurfacing drivers were noted to be parking on the west side of Church Road. 'This is no different to other roads where parking is permitted on both sides of the road restricting the centre carriageway to one lane. 'Unless vehicles are parked in a manner that constitutes an obstruction the vehicles are legally parked,' it said. The letter added that the situation had been monitored and the matter discussed with police and it was decided at that meeting that it did not warrant further action at that time. 'I understand that you are frustrated by the situation in Church Road but parking on the highway can act as desirable traffic calming keeping the speeds of vehicles down and discouraging through traffic. In a residential area such as Church Road this is to be encouraged, as rat running and excessive vehicle speeds are a source of considerable concern in many residential areas,' the letter concluded.