A bus service which caters to rural villages surrounding Great Yarmouth will be reduced from September.

The Our Hire 72A service between Martham, Hemsby and Acle will be cutting its 1.30pm and 4.30pm service at the start of the next school term.

Following a review by Norfolk County Council, the route's existing timetable was said to be in "very little demand".

Great Yarmouth Mercury: An Our Hire solo bus. Picture - Our HireAn Our Hire solo bus. Picture - Our Hire (Image: Our Hire)

From September, a pre-book service will be introduced for the area as well as providing a service for new villages, including Clippesby and Thurne.

A council spokesperson said: "We have recently undertaken a review of services in this area to ensure that our spending continues to reflect passenger demand and therefore represents value for money.

"Passenger numbers and journeys undertaken show that there is very little demand for the 72A and its current timetable.

"There is still a service in place to East Norfolk Sixth Form and East Coast College that fulfils the Council’s obligations for post-16 travel support."

Great Yarmouth Mercury: The 72A currently operates from Martham to Acle, stopping off at Hemsby, Ormesby, Filby, Thrigby, Runham and Stokesby. Picture - GoogleThe 72A currently operates from Martham to Acle, stopping off at Hemsby, Ormesby, Filby, Thrigby, Runham and Stokesby. Picture - Google (Image: Google)

The 72A service's reduced timetable comes as Norfolk County Council was accused of "overlooking" bus routes in the Yarmouth area.

The borough is expected to receive more than £5m of council money to improve services.