First leaves Suffolk town

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First is withdrawing its services from Bury St Edmunds with effect from March 31, 2012.

It will axe all routes in the town and close the depot. Staff have been informed about the moves but First has stated they do not intend to make any of them redundant. All staff will be offered positions at its Ipswich depot.

In a statement, First said: “Operations at Bury St Edmunds have not been commercially viable for some considerable time, and with continued cost increases facing the industry, plus the Government’s decision to reduce the BSOG by 20% from April 2012, it is with regret we have decided to withdraw all services at the end of March.

Nigel Barrett, MD of First South East and Midlands, said: “Sadly our operations in Bury St Edmunds have not been commercially viable for a while.”

The move follows FirstGroup’s sale of its West Norfolk operations to Norfolk Green, and closure of its Kings Lynn depot last year.