An NHS Trust has come under fire for scrapping bus routes outside a hospital – causing problems for patients who rely on public transport.

A residents’ group has claimed North Middlesex Hospital University Trust’s decision to ban the 491 and 444 buses from the northern perimeter road was made without carrying out a formal risk assessment and should be overturned.

Philip Ridley, committee member at Enfield Transport User Group, claimed the ban – aimed at stopping cars from following buses through an automatic barrier – had caused delays for elderly residents and others who rely on public transport to get to the hospital.

He said: “The trust said the ban was to prevent car drivers tailgating the buses. The answer is not to ban buses.

“Back in 2006, a lot of work went into getting the bus service into Enfield from the hospital. Until 2006, there was no bus – you could only drive.

“There are certain streets where it is the only bus service.”

According to the hospital, the bus routes were scrapped because the tailgating cars posed a risk to pedestrians.

On one occasion, a car crashed into the barrier, while others that made it through would often travel at high speed down the road.

But a freedom of information request sent by Mr Ridley to the trust revealed no formal risk assessment was drawn up before the decision to ban the buses was made.

In addition, the incidents were not formally logged, and the trust relied on eyewitness accounts by members of staff as a basis for the decision.

Mr Ridley suggested slapping hefty fines on tailgaters as an alternative to the bus ban, arguing the trust should penalise drivers instead of inconveniencing patients.

A spokesman for North Middlesex University Hospital said: "We have been in correspondence with Transport for London for over a year about ending the 491 bus route short cut through the hospital grounds, primarily because of pedestrian safety concerns.

"We have also been in correspondence with Mr Ridley over a number of months. He has this week sent a written complaint to our chief executive which we are dealing with under our formal complaints procedure."