BUS drivers and passengers in North Yorkshire are being subjected to increased attacks from vandals and thugs.

The epidemic of violence came to light this week when a York judge sent a 29-year-old man to prison for attacking a driver on a journey from Leeds to Malton.

Judge Jonathan Crabtree told the Sean Stuart Carter, of Noster Place, Beeston, Leeds, he was passing such a sentence to warn others against attacking bus drivers.

The judge said: "There seems to be an epidemic of trouble on buses in recent years. A number of local bus services simply have to be stopped in the evening because the drivers daren't take them out."

Company bosses at First York have revealed they plan to review a "late ban" on the Chapelfields area of York.

Buses no longer travel to Chapelfields after 8pm because of the ban.

Operations manager Paul Bell said the ban was imposed last year after repeated attacks on drivers and buses from vandals in that area of town.

He said: "It got to the point where the drivers' union was demanding the company stop travelling to Chapelfields.

"We had vandals throwing everything from stones to golf clubs at the buses and when windows start getting broken it becomes unacceptable. Now the bus terminates at Ridgeway and won't go any further after 8pm."

He said previous bans on Chapelfields had been reversed but they had been imposed again once attacks resumed.

"It can be difficult in other areas but it is not as bad as in Leeds where the amount of attacks is greater," he added.

"We do advise our drivers not to get involved in any confrontation at all because that can sometimes lead to attacks.

"Apart from Chapelfields we don't have that many problems."

Linda Ellis, inquiries assistant for Coastliner buses admitted there were some problems in some areas but there had been none recently.

She said: "We are not taking any services off because of this problem.

"Our drivers tend to experience problems when passengers have been drinking alcohol but there haven't been many problems of late."

The Evening Press reported at the end of last year that drivers from Coastliner were being subjected to attacks in parts of Leeds.

"I haven't heard of any attacks taking place in Leeds," said Mrs Ellis.

Updated: 11:04 Saturday, March 03, 2001