BUS services around the town have been seriously hit by the roadworks being carried out near the town centre.

Extra buses have been put on the Number Eight service to Whitehouse and Asda after delays meant the timetabled service was running very late.

And there have also been problems on Services Seven and 15 to Thorrington Hall and numbers Nine and Ten to Whitton and Castle Hill.

Ipswich Buses managing director Malcolm Robson said there were a number of issues that had combined to cause the problems.

There are often problems in the run-up to Christmas, but the extensive roadworks had exacerbated these.

There was also extra traffic caused by the opening of Next at the Suffolk Retail Park on the junction of Yarmouth Road and London Road.

Mr Robson said the company would be looking at issues again in January once the Christmas rush had eased to see if there was anything that could be done make the service more reliable – and possibly strengthen services.

Meanwhile Ipswich Buses is to help the area’s job seekers next month by offering a month of free travel for anyone holding a Job CentrePlus Travel Discount card.

The Bus for Jobs scheme is part of a nationwide campaign to make it easier for those looking for work and will run throughout January.

Have you had problems with buses during the Ipswich roadworks? Write to Your Letters, Ipswich Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail starletters@archant.co.uk