A BUS company has re-issued stern warnings against anti-social behaviour following a series of incidents reported on buses in Darlington town centre.

Arriva North East, which operates the majority of services in Darlington, said it would pass on CCTV images of every reported case to police.

The Northern Echo understands that in the past few weeks, schoolchildren and teenagers have been seen "jumping" on bus seats, causing a nuisance to other passengers and interfering with vital safety equipment.

In once case, a member of the public said they witnessed a group of youths steal the emergency glass hammer, before fleeing an Arriva bus through the fire door.

Towards the end of last year, police urged parents to "take responsibility" for their childrens' actions after an Arriva bus driver was left "shaken" by an incident involving a group of threatening youths.

Last night, a spokesperson for Arriva North East said: “The safety of our staff and passengers is of paramount importance to us and we take incidents of antisocial behaviour on board our buses very seriously.

"We have internal and external CCTV on all of our buses and provide CCTV images to the police in respect of every report.

"We are working closely with Darlington policing teams and Darlington Borough Council to help reduce and eliminate these occurrences.”

'Reassurances offered'

A spokesperson for Durham Police said: “We would like to reassure members of the community that we will continue to have a visible presence in the town in order to meet their needs.

“Members of our neighbourhood police team have been out on the streets, using the powers at our disposal to address any concerns that have arisen and will continue to."

The spokesperson said the force was taking the situation "seriously" and was working to follow up concerns received of anti-social behaviour.

  • Those who witness anti-social behaviour are urged to call the force on the non-emergency 101 number.