Campaigners will fight to save a bus route from the chop.

First Essex is cutting its 78 service between Brightlingsea and Colchester next month.

It will leave passengers without public transport between the towns in the evenings and on Sundays.

People living in Wivenhoe, which is on the 78 route, will also be hit.

Wivenhoe Town Council is against the cutbacks and has called for the service to be saved.

Penny Kraft said: "This service has been running for over 50 years and I'm appalled that they are going to stop it.

"There will be no buses at night, which means there will be no way of getting out of Brightlingsea unless you have a car.

"There will be no way of young people being able to get out of the town.

"Quite a lot of older people have been asking me what we are going to do about it."

First Essex Buses explained the service was being axed because fewer people were using it.

It said there were no plans to stop routes between Wivenhoe, Essex University and Colchester.

Rival Wivenhoe-based Cedric Coaches is considering expanding its timetable to cover the lost service.