It is Anthony. no one in the right mind goes out to tell kids (and were talking groups of as little as three of them and as young as 12-13 ) off for causing mischief , the abuse from them or there parents or the chance of being stabbed etc etc is too high in my area...There are some lovely safe parts of Manchester but not where i live or the neighbouring towns.



Because of the problems our local bus company decided to halt night time services after 8pm between October 5 and 8 for the 201 Manchester city centre to Hattersley service.(this would if it still ran go past my house)

"We've actually been working quite closely with the police and are putting the buses back on," a spokeswoman said.

"We do get these sort of things all over Manchester but because of the recent problems in the estate the drivers are now frightened of going to Hattersley."

She added that genuine passengers also suffer because of the thugs.

The first incident was when youths stole cash from a bus in John Kennedy Road at around 11.15pm.

The driver was forced to stop after youths opened the emergency exit on the top deck. While he was upstairs sorting it out, thieves grabbed the driver's takings and made off.

The following night in Mottram Road in Hyde at around 11.30pm, a 23-year-old driver was assaulted by a teenager and a brick was thrown through the window.

A gang of youths had tried to board the bus without paying but had been taken off when the driver flagged down a nearby police patrol.

On the driver's return route, one of the teenagers managed to board the bus and grabbed the driver. At the same time a brick was thrown through the window.

Then on another ocassion at 11.35pm two offenders tried to grab the driver's cash box whilst he was on Hattersley Road East before making off.

Stalybridge police's Chief Inspector Julie McCabe-Robinson said: "The area officers are going to be out in the area and because of some CCTV footage they have got some inquiries to follow up in that area.

"It was a bit of a shock for us when they pulled the service but we want to get it back on for the residents," she added.

This service has stopped since 2002 and the youth problem is much worse now.