A BUS service that Rose Hill residents spent eight years campaigning for is avoiding part of the route because of badly parked vehicles.

Transport firm Stagecoach said it cannot get its number 20 bus down Rivermead Road on its way to Templars Square shopping centre in Cowley.

Police have now written to householders to urge them to park more considerately in all streets used by the bus.

The service began last summer with cash support from Oxfordshire County Council after an eight-year campaign. It currently runs along Mortimer Road and Nowell Road.

Stagecoach spokesman Chris Child said: “The route 20 doesn’t currently run along Rivermead Road due to issues surrounding the parking of cars which would prevent buses getting through.

“If the parking situation substantially improved then we would review the situation with the county council.”

Rose Hill Residents’ Association chairman Peter Wilkinson, 57, said: “After a long, hard-fought campaign to get the bus introduced it’s a great shame a few people who are parking inconsiderately are causing hardship to others who would otherwise be able to use the service.

“We would ask people to bear in mind the needs of others and park more considerately.”

Police community supporter officer Paul Timms wrote in the letter: “We have had concerns raised by other residents that the Templars Square bus service has had difficulty passing through the Rivermead Road area due to vehicles being parked causing unnecessary obstructions.

“This is a valuable service to vulnerable people who do not have access to their own vehicles.”

He added: “There are currently no parking restrictions on Rivermead Road but this does not mean residents can park dangerously or obstructively.

“Please check when you have parked your vehicle that you have left enough room for other cars and buses to pass.”

Rivermead Road resident Vim Rodrigo said: “A lot of people are parking their cars outside.

“We’ve had a police notice and people seem to have taken notice of it.

“It doesn’t seem as bad now, but it’s still pretty awful.

“The thing that worries me is, if a bus cannot get through, what about a fire engine or an ambulance?”