THE “CRAZY” decision to reroute a busy north Angus bus service up a narrow country lane has proven the “road to hell” for Stagecoach bosses after it sparked a furious response from the local community.

In the six weeks since Stagecoach first altered the Brechin-Montrose bus route at short notice, residents and passengers have grown increasingly frustrated by the decision to divert the vehicles up the Pugeston road to Hillside.

The single-lane road is so narrow in places that buses are having a hard time negotiating the route— especially when they come across tractors or lorries travelling the other way.

And local politicians and residents have joined forces to condemn Stagecoach’s “disastrous” alterations, calling for a return to the previous route before a bus ends up in a ditch.

Angus MP Mike Weir was highly critical when he, councillors and concerned residents met at the Pugeston road yesterday.

“It just doesn’t make any sense putting big buses along this road,” he said.

“Winter is coming too. Can you imagine what would happen if a bus had to come along here during a particularly bad winter—it’d be a disaster.

“The road is probably a low priority route for the council’s gritters too.

“If you’ve got double-deckers trying to use this road and it’s not properly gritted it could cause serious problems.”

Councillor Sandy West added, “I don’t know who is daft enough to put buses up a country road like this.

“We’ve now got tractors and buses having to come to a stop when they meet and then inch past each other on the verge.”

He attacked the company for its failure to consult and said local knowledge could have avoided the Pugeston road headaches.

Pugeston road resident Raymond Sutton is also infuriated by the damage the buses do to the roadside as they try to pass other large vehicles.

“The buses have caused many problems in just six weeks,” he said.

“These vehicles are massive, they are motorway buses, and the road is too tight. They have to really creep up the road.

“Tractors have been using this road for years, and the odd lorry I can live with but we’re not needing extra traffic, especially massive buses.”

The route now also misses out Sleepyhillock cemetery and the Tayock area of Montrose.

“Getting out to Sleepyhillock isn’t as easy now,” Mr Weir said.

“Folk from Brechin and Montrose who have relatives buried at the cemetery are finding it very difficult to get out there now and this is causing a lot of concern.

“The crazy thing is that if they took the bus up the main road and then turned up to Hillside it wouldn’t add much time at all and it would still serve Sleepyhillock and Tayock.”

Stagecoach was unavailable for comment last night.