Belper Town Council this week said it would not pay for the upkeep of two bus shelters outside a 'super surgery' in Whitemoor Lane unless a better bus service is provided.

But Trent Barton, which runs buses due to stop outside when the building opens next month ,said it was 'unable' to improve the service.

The company's 6.X from King Street runs every hour and two buses, going through Belper town centre from Ripley to Derby, run within 20 minutes of each other.

Practice manager Stephanie Haslam has talked with Trent Barton about running more buses.

Belper Town Council, which wants to see buses running to and from the surgery every 20 minutes, will now ask Derbyshire County Council to put pressure on the bus company to provide a more regular service.

Mayor of Belper, Councillor Martin Tomlinson said: "If they can't provide us with a bus service why should we maintain the shelters?"

The last bus leaves Whitemoor for the town centre at 6.18pm, but the surgery is expected to offer evening consultations as part of Government demands that GPs provide out-of-hours and weekend appointments.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire Primary Care Trust, which will run the surgery, said: "There are two bus stops outside the new medical centre plus a large free car park. The practice and local councillor have both been in contact with the local bus company who are happy to assess the level of demand once the new surgery is open patients. "