A vital bus service which helped people get to a nearby hospital has been scrapped.

The 423 bus service, which passed through New Ash Green and went to Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, was axed at the start of this month.

Judi O'Regan, who has lived in the Hartley area for 11 years, says that she and many of her elderly neighbours are now "completely isolated".

The 57-year-old said: "I am unable to work through various medical conditions so, like countless others in this area, I have relied on this bus to get to doctors' and hospital appointments.

"But now it seems that, to get anywhere further afield than Hartley, Longfield or New Ash Green, I will have to go all the way to Gravesend and change buses, which will now take twice as long, or be forced to pay for taxis with money I haven't got.

"I'm one of many, I have to say. I live in sheltered housing on an estate and there's a lot of elderly people who are just going to be totally isolated now."

The only way for residents to get to the hospital is if they get the 489 bus to Gravesend and then get another bus back towards Dartford.

Judi said: "Its disgusting, I mean how long will it be before they cut the 489? I don't drive and there's a lot of people that can't drive like the elderly.

"I've got an appointment in Dartford this week and I'm going to have to get the 489 all the way to Gravesend then get a 480 to Dartford – that is an hour and a half hour journey, when before it would have been about half an hour.

"I can't afford to get a cab, I'm not well enough to work so I'm living on benefits. A cab to Dartford is £25 and that's just one way – forget it it's not going to happen."

Judi suffers from acute anxiety, and has appointments with a mental health team in Dartford, however she says that the stressful hour and a half journey beforehand is completely defeating the object of the exercise.

She added: "I can't keep asking friends and neighbours for lifts and stuff, it's just not fair on them. It's like we're being penalised for living in a nice area – it's pretty round here but there's no transport.

"It was an awful service anyway but it was better than nothing. We've just been left high and dry."

Cllr George Pender (Con), who represents Ash and New Ash Green at Sevenoaks District Council, said: "Of all the bus service reductions we will see locally, the loss of the weekday service to Dartford, the 423, will be the most sorely felt for the people of Ash and New Ash Green, especially for those who need to attend regular medical appointments at Darent Valley Hospital.

"To be fair to KCC (Kent County Council), this was never a subsidised service, and the decision to remove the service is a purely commercial one made by [bus operator] Arriva.

"We do understand that, for a number of reasons, KCC cannot be expected to chase the withdrawal of a commercial service with a subsidy, especially given that subsidised services are also being cut for budgetary reasons.

"Nonetheless, we would all like to see a service to Dartford, including for hospital patients, remain in some form, either under Arriva or another provider, and our representations to the county council in recent months, have emphasised this priority.

"We are pleased that Arriva have decided to maintain the commercially provided weekday service to Gravesend."

Bus operator Arriva, which is owned by Deutsche Bahn, the German state-owned transport company, is also under scrutiny with bus drivers and staff striking for 13 consecutive weekdays from next Wednesday over a pay row.

An Arriva spokesman said: "Coming out of the pandemic has been very challenging for bus operators as it has for many other businesses.

"Passenger numbers are still significantly below the levels they were before and the costs of operating services are higher than they ever have been with particular pressure on staff and fuel costs.

"As one of the largest employers in the area the future viability of our network is key to protecting those jobs in the local community which depend on our business remaining viable.

"Unfortunately, passenger numbers on the 423 service are still significantly less than they were pre Covid, and the costs of operating the service are significantly greater than the revenue generated by those using the service.

"Having fully examined and exhausted all alternative options, we have been left with no choice but to withdraw the 423 service from October 3, 2022.

"We understand the difficulties this places on the small number of people who continued to use the service after Covid, and if there were an alternative we would have gladly pursued it.

"Unfortunately, we were unable to find an alternative and the only option to us was to cease operating the service."