'Under siege' bus service halted after four attacks in two hours

A bus company has warned it may withdraw services from part of North Lanarkshire after a spate of attacks on its vehicles.

First Bus removed the 240 service from travelling through Viewpark, near Bellshill, on Friday night after four of its vehicles were pelted with missiles in a two-hour period.

Councillor Helen Loughran said the service, which runs between Glasgow city centre and Overtown near Wishaw, had been "under siege" and suggested that young people were behind the attacks - but First Bus told the BBC it could not verify this.

In a letter to local politicians, the company said it could not keep sending buses into Viewpark and risking the safety of drivers and passengers.

On Friday a bus was stopped after someone activated the emergency engine button, turning off the bus's engine and cutting power.

The letter sent out to councillors and other local representatives said three buses had been targeted with missiles on Friday night, before the fourth vehicle was attacked after the power was cut.

Another bus had been attacked last Monday and was left with a broken window - again in the Viewpark area.

The letter added: "We are reaching a point where this cannot continue. We have a responsibility to protect our staff and customers and cannot continue sending buses into areas where they are repeatedly coming under attack.

"Equally, it is completely unacceptable that our customers, particularly those who are elderly or heavily reliant on the service, are being left stranded because of the actions of a small number of individuals."

Councillor Helen Loughran told BBC Scotland News the incidents required multiple groups to work together, and urged parents to be aware of what their children were doing at night.

She added: "When a child is consistently involved in illegal activity, there must be serious questions raised around safeguarding issue and indeed boundaries, guidance, and protection at home."

Loughran said youth attacks on buses have increased in the past year, with missiles shattering windows and buses being chased by teenagers on scooters.

She said she feared there was the potential for a serious public safety incident in the future.

A First Bus spokesperson said: "We strongly condemn this behaviour, it is completely unacceptable and puts members of the public and our colleagues at risk.

"We are currently working with the local authorities to help prevent similar incidents from happening in future. The safety of our passengers and colleagues remains our top priority."