And the pensioners, who live in sheltered housing at Fleming Court in March, are willing to take their battle to the top with a 200-plus signed petition due to be passed on to bus company Stagecoach and Fenland MP Malcolm Moss.

Fleming Court Social Club vice-chairman, Brian Samuel, feels the new number 33 service gives the pensioners too far to walk to Morton Avenue.

Mr Samuel explained that before the changes, which came into effect on August 24, the bus formally run by Cavalier Travel used to stop outside the main entrance of the court in Asplin Avenue.

He said: "The new service cuts out three-quarters of Fleming Court and a lot of other people. I would say 95 per cent of those people have bus passes.

"I don't understand – they issue new free bus passes and then take the buses away.

"The elderly people have to take a cut through to get to Morton Avenue, but it takes about 10 minutes and physically the distance puts a lot of pressure on the body."

Brian Waite, who organised the petition and has been rallying around to get the signatures, says they feel particularly unhappy at the way they were told about the change.

He said: "It's just been cut with no information. We were told by a driver that they (Stagecoach) found it was not viable to run buses through here."

Resident Norma Caddick (88) has lived at Fleming Court for four-and-a-half years and relies on the buses to do her weekly shopping.

The bus service change, coupled with the possible closure of their local Post Office on St Peter's Road, has left her feeling like her independence is being taken away.

"Morton Avenue is a long way from here, everybody's disgusted about it," she said, adding: "They're taking our independence."

Stagecoach were this week unavailable for comment.