TEENAGERS from across the region took their demand for cheaper bus fares to Gordon Brown's Downing Street doorstep yesterday.

Two sacks - containing 1,600 protest postcards, sent from schools, colleges and youth groups - were delivered to Britain's most famous front door.

The postcards urge the Government to fund concessionary fares on the North-East's bus network for all 14 to 19-year-olds in education and training.

Teenagers studying at sixth-form and further education colleges face daily fares of up to £5 to get to their studies - a significant drain on a student's budget.

Ironically, the nine students who travelled to London - including some from Darlington and Middlesborough - enjoyed cheap fares once they reached the capital. Unlike on the region's buses, London students travel for free on the bus and at half-price on the tube.

Christian Smith, 17, a student at Darlington's Queen Elizabeth College, said: "Some people in rural areas pay £5 a day just to get to college. That's £25 a week."

Fellow Queen Elizabeth student Mathew Mason, also 17, said: "Students don't have much money, so if they have to fork out £5 a day on bus fares, it limits what they can do."

Thomas Bielby, 16, from King's Academy, Middlesbrough, said: "Students have to pay £2 to get into town and £2 to get back. That takes up a lot of the money theyhave to spend."

The three are members of the Bus Buddies project, a sub-group of the North-East Regional Youth Assembly (NERYA).

The campaign is backed by the Association of North East Councils (Anec), which believes the Government is sympathetic - if a way to fund the cheaper fares can be found. One way could be to chanel money through either the Learning and Skills Council, or regional development agency One NorthEast.

Anec chairman Councillor Mick Henry said: "The young people involved in this campaign should be applauded for the manner in which they have raised awareness of their transport needs. Concessions for 16 to 18-year olds could act as a significant incentive to participation in further education in the North- East, which has the lowest rates in the country."

Last night, Christian Smith addressed a meeting of North-East MPs, many of whom have signed a parliamentary motion in support of the campaign.