Yobs throw large objects at moving buses and drivers in night of Halloween vandalism

A number of bus services have been cancelled in Wales after a night of “despicable” Halloween vandalism. First Bus, which operates the First Cymru service, said at least three of its vehicles were damaged in separate attacks, including two incidents where large objects were thrown directly at drivers.

Images of the affected vehicles show windows smashed and broken glass left lying all over bus seats. As a result, a number of services were cancelled on Tuesday night due to fears of further incidents and other routes were cancelled on Wednesday, November 1 due to the need for essential repairs which will cost the company thousands of pounds. You can get the latest WalesOnline newsletters e-mailed to you directly for free by signing up here.

First Bus said that in Wales the 111 service from Llanelli to Swansea was attacked in Castle Street in Loughor on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, the Port Talbot to Swansea route was disrupted when a person dressed in a Halloween costume stood in front of a moving bus and refused to move. Elsewhere, in Bristol two attacks took place on the cross-city route from Hengrove to the University of the West of England, near Melvin Square. Despite large objects being thrown at drivers in some incidents and moving buses being targeted, thankfully no injuries have been reported.

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First Bus has said it hopes normal service on its routes can be resumed “as soon as possible”, but slammed those responsible for the damage caused and for putting bus drivers and passengers in danger. “It is utterly disgraceful that our drivers and customers have faced this despicable behaviour from a minority of mindless vandals,” said Rob Pymm, First Wales and West’s commercial director.

“The images we have seen of our buses from last night speak for themselves. Who in their right mind would consider throwing a heavy object at a moving bus, let alone towards the driver, endangering them and everyone on board? Sadly, we had no option but to pull some routes last night, and today our passengers continue to be inconvenienced while the buses are off the road being repaired. All we can do is apologise and reassure the public that we will resume a normal service as soon as possible.

“We have reported the incidents to the police and we are reviewing our on-board CCTV, and we will do all we can with local communities and the police to help catch those responsible. We’re committed to protecting our drivers and customers, even if that means stopping services for safety reasons.”

With disruption to some routes continuing on Wednesday as a result of the attacks, First Bus is advising customers to check its website or app for service updates before travelling.