STAFF at a Chorley bus depot have been left untouched by the £13m sale of four of the company's other depots in Lancashire.

Bus operators Stagecoach announced the sale of the Blackburn, Bolton, Burnley and Clitheroe depots -- along with 500 staff and 230 vehicles -- to Harrogate-based travel company Blazefield Holdings.

But Chorley, Preston and Fleetwood depots have been told they will remain under the reign of Stagecoach North West -- an amalgamation of the former Stagecoach Ribble and Stagecoach Cumberland.

This means there will be no change for the Chorley depot, which employs a total of 100 staff and has 50 vehicles.

Nigel Barratt, managing director of Stagecoach North West, explained the reasons behind the sale and the merger that followed: "We have completed a review of the operation of our Lancashire depots and felt they didn't give sufficient income to warrant our continued investment. We have sold the four depots and all routes along with the buildings. All the staff have been transferred also -- no jobs are being lost and staff will keep their existing jobs." He said the decision to create Stagecoach North West was done to make things easier for administration purposes.

Regarding the Chorley, Preston and Fleetwood depots, Mr Barratt added: "They remain viable concerns and will do so for the foreseeable future. All the routes in Chorley will remain the same -- it's business as usual as far as we are concerned."

The company is also in the process of rebranding all their vehicles with the new company name -- Stagecoach North West.

Bobby Marton, regional industrial organiser for the Transport and General Workers' Union, said: "The sale has been handled professionally and the Transport and General Workers' Union wish to continue fostering the ever-improving relationships they have with both Stagecoach and Blazefield Holdings."