BOSSES have warned that bus routes in Blackburn and Darwen could be cut if they are not making a profit.

The warning comes after worried bus users held a public meeting to decide how to fight cutbacks to around five services in their neighbourhood.

The bus network has been in private hands since January when Blackburn Transport was sold after 125 years of council ownership.

Blackburn Transport was not making a profit and Lancashire United, which now runs the network under the name Spot On, says it will only maintain routes that can be run at a profit.

And David Wilson, the firm's commercial develop-ment director, said an agreement put in place to protect certain routes deemed vital by council chiefs could be reversed as part of its three-year programme of change aimed at making the network profitable.

He said: "There is an agreement that we will operate certain services for a period of one to two years. The council stated there were certain services they would like to continue. We can change them, but we would have to do this in discussion with the council.

"We will see if we can amend them to improve the losses."

Mr Wilson said the council had the power to step in to restore routes that were cut.

He said: "If we decide as a commercial company that we can no longer operate a service the council can go out to tender to subsidise it.

"With 56 days notice we can change any route we like. The social responsibiltiy falls with the borough council."

The meeting of bus users, attended by 30 people, was organised by Pauline Vaughan, of Belvedere Road, who has protested against cuts to her local service and recently handed a 200-signature petition to council leader Colin Rigby.

The 47-year-old said they feared people living along routes off main roads could be affected.

She said: "It's a ridiculous situation when the council is telling us to go green but compelling us to use private transport and not giving any support to public means.

"The meeting went very well. I'm more determined than ever after seeing the number of people that turned up in bitterly cold weather to discuss public transport.

"The next step is to write to the area's leaders and then to the Prime Minister: we'll start at the top and work down!"