The driver of a Bessbrook bus has been praised for his actions after his vehicle came under attack from stone-throwing youths.
And the incident itself, which happened in the Fr Cullen Park area of the village on Monday, has been branded an “attack on the community”.
The attack was mounted on the ‘Busy Bus’ service and has been condemned by local councillor Declan Murphy.
The Sinn Fein representative said that, had it not been for the actions of the driver, the incident “could have had serious consequences”.
Indeed, Councillor Murphy said it had almost led to the cancellation of the widely-used Busy Bus from the area.
He said: “We are fortunate that the driver was able to keep control of the bus and avert any harm or serious injury to his passengers and other road users.
“The Busy Bus service is availed of by many local residents. An attack on this bus is an attack on the community.
“This type of incident cannot be viewed as high jinks.
“I am appealing to parents to point out the danger of such activity to the young people involved in this behaviour.”
A spokesperson for the PSNI said: “It was reported about 4.50pm on Monday afternoon that a group youths had thrown stones at a bus in the Green Road area of Bessbrook.
“There was no damage caused to the bus and they are treating the incident as attempted criminal damage.
“The officers are conducting enquiries to identify those involved and would ask anyone with any information to contact them on 101 quoting reference number 1080 27/05/24.”
