VANDALS as young as twelve have forced five bus services to be axed in Salford.
Bosses at First Manchester have taken action after 25 bus windows were smashed in a month on routes through Kersal and Lower Broughton.
In one incident a teenage girl needed hospital treatment after glass went in her eye when a missile was thrown.
And in another incident an air rifle was fired.
The bus company says it has the full backing of the police and the city council, but the chairman of Greater Manchester Transport Authority, Salford councillor Roger Jones, strongly criticised the move.
He said:''I am very sympathetic to any passenger or driver that faces an attack and want to support them.
''But pulling off a service is not the answer. Would our council close a school if someone broke the windows?
Discussions
''I believe politicians should be involved in discussions before a bus company decides whether a service is being stopped.
''In Little Hulton we had a similar situation and dealt with it by meeting with all agencies.
''The youth service promised more facilities and we sent letters to tenants warning them that if the people responsible were identified, and were council tenants, they could be evicted.''
The worst affected areas have been Moor Lane, Littleton Road and Great Clowes Street.
The services which will change their routes after noon each day until further notice are the 91, 93, 98, 137 and 138.
Frank Gac, service manager for First Manchester at the Bury depot, said: ''We have windows broken on buses all the time but for 25 to be smashed in four weeks in the same vacinity is extraordinary.
''We had to make a decision for the safety of our passengers and staff.
''We have had great backing from the police, who have done undercover operations and had extra patrols out. But we can't keep putting people at risk.
''The answer has got to be education. I am hoping to go into local schools to get the message across of how serious the situation is.
''We know that youths aged 12 to 18 are responsible.''
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