A TRAVEL company is working with police on a restorative justice project after one of the windows of a bus were smashed by a 14-year-old throwing stones.

Glass windows shattered when the number 22, a double decker, between Thornley and Wheatley Hill, near Peterlee, in County Durham, was attacked on the Gorehill estate.

Passengers were on board when the youngster, from Ludworth, who was with three friends, struck the bus, at about 7pm on September 8 last year. No-one was hurt in the incident.

Earlier this month, the teenager attended the Arriva depot, based at Belmont Industrial Estate, in Durham, where he cleaned a bus and spoke to staff about the impact of his actions.

Depot manager Kevin Poskett said: “We sat down with this young man and told him the potential implications of people who could have been injured and the inconvenience to all of our customers of keeping a bus out of service for it to be repaired.”

Police were called after the incident and four young people aged 12 to 14 were identified as being involved.

They were interviewed at Peterlee Police Station and the 14-year-old admitted he had thrown the stones.

PC Rob Mellenthin said the restorative approach had been used by the force for several years and was proving effective and deterring young people from getting involved further in the criminal justice system.

He said: “It would be better if this had not happened in the first place, but the restorative approach means we can take something negative and turn it into something positive.

“We would urge victims of crime to consider getting involved with it to see that some good from meeting the young person who has offended against them. It is not a soft option.”