FIRST Manchester's bus drivers have voted to end their ongoing industrial dispute.

The firm's latest revised pay offer was accepted by 70 per cent of the workforce in a ballot held by the Transport and General Workers Union.

The positive outcome puts an end to four months of misery for bus passengers.

Drivers had staged numerous strikes and were due to walk out today, tomorrow and Monday.

These threatened strikes were withdrawn earlier in the week when union chiefs agreed to reopen negotiations with the company.

The union recommended the offer be accepted and the stalemate between the two sides was broken.

First Manchester operations director Russell Gard welcomed the news.

He said: "We are very pleased to finally have an agreement which satisfies both parties.

"We can all get back to the business of providing a bus services for our customers and to persuading more motorists to leave their cars and use public transport."

The two sides were locked in talks for five days.

But despite the settlement, Mick Cavanagh, union convenor, said he was not completely satisfied with the outcome.

He said: "Do you ever get what you fully want in negotiations of this sort?

"We wanted people to progress to the top rate of pay and we have gone some way to achieving this.

"The union had to give into some of our conditions but hopefully in the years to come we can get even closer to our wishes.

"The deal is complicated and means different things to different people. I hope everyone can work together to create a better company."