Evening bus service to area of Northampton reinstated following suspension after rocks thrown at vehicles
An evening bus service to an area of Northampton, which was suspended after incidents whereby rocks were thrown, has now been reinstated.
Stagecoach has confirmed its number 5 evening services from the town centre to Southfields were reinstated on Wednesday November 26.
The company says it will continue to review the service over the coming weeks, “to ensure the safety of passengers and staff”.
Initially implemented on October 30, the suspension stopped any busses serving the area after 4.30pm.
Mark Whitelocks, managing director of Stagecoach Midlands, said: "We can confirm the service has now resumed, following consultation with the police and our teams on the ground. Items being thrown at buses is extremely serious and can lead to significant injuries hence the close work with the police to keep our staff, passengers and other road users safe.
"We hope there will be no need to further inconvenience our customers with further service withdrawals but we will continue to monitor the situation and take further action if necessary."
The suspension came after two incidents in two days whereby rocks and kerbstones were thrown at the driver’s side of buses. Stagecoach said CCTV footage indicated the attacks were “deliberate and targeted”, so the suspension decision was made to protect the safety of drivers and passengers. The incidents happened on Monday October 27 and Tuesday October 28 in Barley Hill Road.
Northamptonshire Police confirmed it was notified of the incidents and asked witnesses or anyone with information is asked to call the force on 101, quoting incident number: 25000633670.