THERE will be no Newport Transport buses on Monday, December 27, and Tuesday, December 28 - both bank holidays - because the company says the services are not "commercially viable".

But with many stores in Newport starting their Christmas sales on the bank holiday Monday, and one of the biggest rugby matches of the season taking place, angry traders and bus users say the decision will cause huge problems.

The lack of bus service in the city means:

* Retail staff who depend on the buses will have to find other ways of getting to work.

* Bargain-hunters cannot use the buses to get to the city centre for the start of the Christmas sales.

* Thousands of rugby fans will have to find an alternative way to get to Rodney Parade for one of the biggest matches of the season - the clash between the Dragons and the Cardiff Blues.

* The elderly, who may depend on public transport, cannot get to shops or visit relatives over the Christmas break.

Steve Taylor, assistant manager of Next in Commercial Street, said: "It is going to cause us many problems. On the Monday we are having our big sale and opening at 5am for what is one of the busiest days of the year.

"It will cause major problems for staff getting to work, and also if our customers cannot get into the centre on the bus, then we could be losing revenue."

City centre manager Susannah Bulpin said she was not aware of the Christmas services, but said: "It will certainly cause problems."

David Murray, director of Gwent Age Concern, said: "Elderly people, many of whom do not have access to a car, will be denied the opportunity to do what everyone wants to do at Christmas, and that is visit their relatives and loved ones.

"The other point is that because elderly people are often on lower incomes, they are not able to stock up on essentials like the rest of us. They rely on public transport to get them to the shops regularly for essential food items.

"Unfortunately, there is an assumption today that everybody has access to a car, when, particularly for the elderly, this is just not the case."

Newport Transport's operations director, Ross Jones, said: "The company is aware that retail outlets individually decide their own opening days and times, but providing commercial buses on that basis has not been successful in previous years."

He said the company had unsuccessfully tried to seek subsidies for the days when it is not commercially viable to run bus services.

He added: "If any organisations would like to discuss assistance for enhancements to the level of services indicated, the company would be happy to discuss the possibilities."