An astonishing attack by thugs wielding baseball bats has forced bus companies to declare Harold Hill a 'no bus zone' claiming it is too dangerous to drive through after dark.
Residents face becoming stranded because bus companies say no more buses will be run through Harold Hill after 7pm because yobs on the rampage are threatening the lives of both drivers and passengers.
Matters came to a head last week when a gang of thugs wielding baseball bats and throwing rocks went on the rampage attacking two buses and terrorising the drivers and passengers.
A police spokesman said: "The first incident occurred at the corner of Whitchurch Road and Tees Drive. A stationary, number 174 Double Decker, Stagecoach bus was surrounded and attacked by a gang of about 20 youths with bats, metal bars and bricks.
Five windows were smashed and about £1,500 worth of damaged was caused. The second incident occurred minutes later when another Stagecoach bus, the number 294, had three windows smashed as it pulled away from a bus stop in Whitchurch Road."
Stagecoach, one of several companies which run buses through Harold Hill, has decided to withdraw all its services after 7pm.
Their spokesman said: "We've been forced to cut our services because in the last week we've had at least six buses with windows smashed. One person has already been injured by flying glass and had to be treated for cuts. It's a problem which London Transport is looking into but at the moment we have taken the decision to pull our buses out. Any routes running through Harold Hill will be suspended after 7pm and either diverted around the area or taken out all together."
A spokesman for London Transport, who grant permission for bus companies to use the routes, said: "This is a very serious matter that the police are currently investigating. We want to get the routes up and running but we cannot jeopardise the safety of staff and passengers. As well as the Stagecoach buses the 499 First bus and the 256 Arriva are considering stopping their services."
Harold MP Angela Watkinson has called for more police to be able to cope with these yobs.
Stagecoach bus routes which will be affected by the decision include the 174, 294, 374 and 496.
Published Thursday, April 24, 2003
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