WORK on a rapid bus scheme to whisk passengers across south Hampshire will step up a gear after the Government awarded the project £20m.

The South East Hampshire Bus Rapid Transit network, the first stage of which will connect Fareham and Gosport, is designed to help meet the demand for trips from new housing developments in an environmentally friendly way.

Daily Echo: Click below to see a video of today's headlines in sixty seconds

Buses will be able to run on a dedicated busway as well as local roads, enabling the service to avoid congested parts of the A32 and reach into housing areas, local shopping centres and other popular locations.

The first phase of the scheme is due for completion by March 2011. Preliminary investigation work, such as the vegetation clearance for engineering and environmental surveys, has already taken place and a planning application will now be submitted at the end of this month.

Daily Echo: For the full story, don't miss your copy of the Southern Daily Echo.