BUS services in Herefordshire will be affected this week as drivers strike over pay.

Stagecoach South Wales drivers will take part in "significant industrial action" after a breakdown in talks with mediators, the United union said.

Drivers wanted a fair pay rate of £10.50 per hour, but this was refused by Stagecoach, Unite said after two rounds of talks.

The company also maintained that cuts to sick pay and paid breaks, alongside the "introduction of destructive new starter rates" would be needed to achieve a rate of £10.10 per hour.

With drivers on strike from Tuesday (October 19) until Saturday (October 23), and more action in the pipeline, services from Hereford across the border to Wales will be affected.

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Stagecoach said the X3, between Hereford and Cardiff, would be one of the routes affected. The X4, from Abergavenny to Cardiff, would still run but it would not stop at Bailey Street or Brynmawr bus station, instead diverting via the A4047 in both directions.

The last stop will be at Bryn Farm Estate, Stagecoach said, and journeys between Brynmawr and Merthyr Tydfil would not run.

Unite regional officer Alan McCarthy said: “Unite representatives entered into talks with ACAS with optimism that there would be movement from Stagecoach.

"Instead, the message was 'w think you deserve it, but we don’t want to shoulder the cost’.

"That’s a bitter pill to swallow, as government funding under the BES2 scheme (emergency funding) has been covering operating costs for some time now, and continues until July 2022.

"Stagecoach have been benefitting from public funding, but will not pay a decent wage to workers who have delivered their services throughout the pandemic.

“The public and political support for our members has been amazing so far, with many drivers receiving encouragement from passengers.

"Local councillors, MS’s (Member of Senedd) and MP’s have also offered their support, acknowledging that £10.50 per hour is a very reasonable request for the essential work our members carry out.

"We hope that this support continues as industrial action commences, as Stagecoach will undoubtedly try and blame their workers for any disruption.”

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Further strikes are planned for October 25, 29 and 30, as well as November 1 to 6, 8, 9 and 12.

A Stagecoach South Wales spokesperson said it was disappointed with the strike, and its offer would see a pay rise for drivers of more than six per cent.

"We are disappointed that Unite is planning to go ahead with strike action, which benefits no-one," they said.

"Our offer would give employees a significant pay increase of more than 6 per cent, as well as back-dated pay worth a further 3 per cent.

"Employees would also continue to have access to pension and other benefits, while sick pay rates would be at the same level agreed with the union at all other depots in Wales.

"Bus networks across Wales remain in a fragile state as we emerge slowly from the pandemic, and we also need to protect the long-term sustainability of services for local communities at a time when passenger numbers are significantly below the level needed to cover costs.

"We have already put several offers to the union and involved the independent mediation service ACAS as part of our extensive efforts to reach a settlement.

"While that has not succeeded to date, we remain open to further discussions with Unite and are committed to leaving no stone unturned to find a solution."