A VITAL bus service which provides a “lifeline” for the elderly and disabled is finally safe from closure.

The town bus services in Malton and Norton were put under threat earlier this year when the former operator Stephensons of Easingwold ceased trading.

North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) has now confirmed that it will continue to run the Malton and Norton Town Service for the foreseeable future.

Efforts by campaigners saw the authority step in to run the service after its original operator Stephenson’s went into administration in January 2018.

The service’s future has hung in the balance since then, but good passenger numbers mean the authority has confirmed the route is now here to stay.

Cllr Keane Duncan, Norton county councillor and leader of Ryedale District Council, said: “It’s been a tense period for the service. At first we were not sure it would ever start again, but luckily the county council stepped in to run the service on a non-profit basis.

“It has been touch and go since then, with passenger numbers sometimes just falling short of those required to keep it going.

“Luckily things have picked up, with the service being well supported by people of all ages.

“The county council has confirmed the route is now able to continue and no further changes are planned.

“Please do though keep supporting this service. We can’t afford to lose it.”