A BOLTON bus driver's wife has described how her husband was attacked by three yobs who were terrorising his passengers.

Roy Walker, 55, was injured as he struggled to restrain three youths who had started mindlessly pulling the inside of the bus apart.

He managed to hold onto one of the vandals until the police arrived, but in the scuffle was badly shaken and suffered minor injuries. His glasses and watch were also broken.

The attack followed a spate of incidents on buses in the Withins area.

Mr Walker's wife, Dorothy, said: "He is a bus driver for First Bus Group and was driving a Withins bus at 3.30pm from Moor Lane.

"He had only gone two stops when three youths started pulling the front inside panel off the bus upstairs.

"The police were called on the bus phone and a further call was made by a young lady bus passenger on her mobile, as she was very alarmed.

"About 20 minutes later the police arrived. My husband was hurt, and his glasses and watch were broken, trying to restrain the youths.

"The bus company has frequently to replace windows on vehicles on this route. They are wrecking buses left, right and centre, and all this adds to the rise in bus fares and delayed services.

Worse

"People do not realise what bus drivers have to go through. My husband has been a bus driver for 28 years and it has definitely got worse on the buses."

Mrs Walker realised what had happened to her husband when, by coincidence, she was travelling home on another bus. She saw her husband's bus stopped with police cars surrounding it.

She said: "I immediately got off my bus to see what had happened. Roy had hurt his arm and was very shaken.

"This happened during the day and you would think that, not only should my husband be able to do his job without incident, but people should be able to go out shopping on the buses without fear.

"Why is it the innocent, honest, working people who have to suffer all the time?"

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