SUPERMARKET shoppers are celebrating after the Mayor of Bury won a battle to change bus routes serving Morrisons and Asda.

Passengers became worried in June that a shake-up of First Manchester services meant buses would not call at Asda in Pilsworth, despite many customers calling for it.

And, worse still, a service that did call at Morrisons in Whitefield was re-routed, against popular demand.

Bury mayor Cllr Joan Grimshaw took on the case and has held five meetings with service bosses in Whitefield and at Manchester Town Hall.

Cllr Grimshaw won the battle and persuaded transport bosses to change services again as of Sunday, January 27.

From then on, the 94 and the 92, which follow the same route, but at different times of the week, will both be known as the 92.

The 92 will run daily from Bury to Manchester via Hollins, Unsworth and Prestwich, taking in Pilsworth via Croft Lane, Pilsworth Road and Asda.

The 93 will run Monday to Saturday from Bury to Manchester via Unsworth and Prestwich will call at Whitefield Interchange, next to Morrisons.

Both the 92 and 93 will get new timetables.

After the current routes were introduced last July, replacing the 137 and 138, passengers complained of a series of blunders.

Some bus users suffered delays of up to two hours and others complained that they could no longer get to the supermarket.

Cllr Grimshaw, who fought for the changes with Cllr Noel Bayley, said: “I’m glad common sense has finally won. When First announced they were going to change the services, people thought it might be a good opportunity to introduce a service up to Asda.

“But not only did things not improve, they got worse, and we’ve had a mess of a service since last July.

“However, First has been good enough to send representatives to three public meetings in Whitefield and we have been to Manchester Town Hall twice.

“This is a victory for people power and I would like to thank Paul Turner, of First, who has been helpful ever since he started working for them.

“Paul has agreed to come back to the March meeting of Whitefield and Unsworth Township Forum to talk to people about whether the changes work.”