Carshalton and Wallington MP Tom Brake has slammed Transport for London’s (TfL) decision to stop the X26 bus route stopping at the Plough in Beddington.

The news will come as a disappointment to the hundreds of residents who have supported Tom Brake’s campaign to reinstate a stop at the pub.

Instead, TfL suggested passengers should travel by bus to Wallington, Sutton and Croydon, though the bus already passes the Plough on every journey it makes.

Tom Brake said, “I think it is ridiculous that TfL refuses to allow the X26 to stop at the Plough, especially as it would only add a few minutes to a 110-minute journey.

“Beddington residents deserve to be able to easily catch the bus to Heathrow and other places along the route, which provides great job opportunies – even more so due to the fact the bus drives past the stop over 30 times a day.”

After a meeting with the MP, TfL carried out feasibility tests to investigate the possibility of reinstating the stop.

But TfL claimed the current route was the perfect balance between “accessibility and express service”, and adding any extra stops would disrupt this.

A TfL spokesman said: “The X26 operates an express orbital service between Croydon and Heathrow. “We considered the representations from MP Tom Brake but have decided, in the interests of preserving the express nature of the service, not to add an additional stop.”