More bus cuts are likely to be approved next week.

Environment director Alan McCarthy is recommending that Brighton and Hove City Council stops subsidising three routes.

They include the 13 and 13a, which run every two hours from Westdene to Hove, also serving Portslade, Hangleton and Goldstone Valley, and the 35 serving Westdene, Seven Dials, London Road and the Open Market.

Mr McCarthy said park-and-ride services between Withdean and the city centre on Sundays could also be cut.

He said the bus subsidy budget was overspent and cutbacks had to be made.

The earliest date to stop subsidies is January 2002 and after that the council will save more than £150,000 a year.

Services 13 and 13a are the only cross-city link avoiding Churchill Square.

But the level of use has been disappointing and there are only two passengers for each journey on average. The subsidy is £5.63 for each of them.

Service 35 has on average only five passengers a journey and the subsidy for each one is £2.07.

Park-and-ride on Sundays started well but has also tailed off.

There are only eight passengers on each journey and each is subsidised by £1.96.

Mr McCarthy said the council had looked at other cuts to reach the required figures but this was the best way to do it.

He said bad weather had been a factor in reducing the number of passengers on some routes.