DESPAIRING bus passengers in York will soon see the city's largest fleet given a thorough clean - three weeks after the First bus washer was rendered useless by a broken entrance ramp.

First buses have been travelling around the city thickly covered in grime, attracting complaints from passengers.

Drivers can see out of the windscreen, but rear and side windows of many buses have been splashed with dirt. However, the company said that safety has not been put at risk.

The problems started when concrete at the entrance to the washer - a large scale version of a car wash - broke up, meaning buses could not drive straight through the facility in James Street.

First operations manager Peter Edwards said it was too difficult to reverse the buses into the washer, and cleaning them regularly by hand was ruled out because they are stored "like sardines" and access would be difficult.

About 60 buses in the 93-strong fleet were given a wash last weekend, but others have been left untouched for three weeks, becoming mobile message boards for graffiti artists who write in the dirt.

Work has been ongoing on the new entrance, costing the company £200,000, and the washer was expected to be up and running this weekend.

Mr Edwards said that ordinarily each bus would be washed every night.

He said: "We are hoping the work's going to be done this weekend and the situation is likely to be improved by the beginning of next week.

"The drivers can see through the windscreens and they clean some of the important windows, but some of these vehicles are out for 18 hours solid."

Updated: 11:51 Saturday, December 21, 2002