Angry villagers say they have been left prisoners in their own homes after their only bus service was axed.

Stagecoach South East has withdrawn the number 3 bus which served Oare, near Faversham, as it was "barely used" and deemed unsustainable.

But that has left pensioners like Marika Sherwood, 84, with no way of getting into Faversham to shop and for other visits, like the doctors' surgery, dentist and the library.

"So aged people like me, the disabled, and those without cars will be locked in the village," she said, adding, "Is it just accepted for us to die of hunger?"

Stagecoach took on the rural route "on an experimental basis" in August last year after it was dropped by Arriva.

It has been providing a hourly service up until 2pm, but now, the company say it is no longer viable and has axed it along with a number of other services.

The company says passenger numbers generally have slumped by 25% post-pandemic, forcing it to make some "tough decisions".

Stagecoach South East's commercial director, Matthew Arnold, said: "We've done everything we can to protect these services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, but we now have to make some really difficult decisions for the short-term.

"Services that were barely used even before the pandemic are now unsustainable without some form of ongoing financial support.

"These are tough decisions to make because we know the impact they may have on individual people in the locations affected, but by making changes now, we can ensure other critical services in the area are maintained, and we can plan to respond to new travel patterns as demand emerges and the Covid recovery continues."

But that is no comfort to users like retired teacher and historian Mrs Sherwood.

"Others I have been speaking to at the bus stop just don't know how they are going to travel if, like me, they don't drive because who can afford £17 return to Faversham in a taxi?" she said.

The last service from the village was on Wednesday last week.

Mrs Sherwood has now written to Faversham and Mid-Kent MP Helen Whately urging her to intervene.

She added: "Stagecoach's profits went up 104.3% in the half year ending October 30, rocketing to £32.9m, so it's surely not beyond their income to have buses come to Oare."