A BUS company will move most of its vehicles out of a town centre depot, after a teenage prankster stole one.

First reviewed security at its Queen Street base in Colchester after the incident.

On December 7, a 17-year-old from the town got inside the depot at night, and boarded a bus simply by pressing a button. He then drove it out of the depot, before crashing into railings.

The teenager, who cannot be identified because he is under 18, admitted taking the bus without consent at Colchester Magistrates’ Court.

He stole the vehicle because him and a friend, Peter Drew, 18, of Hazell Court, Colchester, had missed the last bus home on December 7 last year.

Following the case, a spokeswoman for First said: “We have been looking at ways to improve security since the break-in.

“We have made arrangements to move a large section of our fleet to another location, where they will be kept overnight from March.”

She said the buses were locked at Queen Street each night, but First did not manage the property and could not provide any extra security. Some buses will still be kept at the depot. The company would not reveal where the vehicles would be kept from next month.

The 17-year-old is waiting to be sentenced. However, Judge David Cooper warned him he was likely to be locked up.

Drew was put on a night-time curfew for three months and will be electronically tagged.