There has been a wave of ASB incidents directed at buses and bus drivers across Merseyside in the last month
There has been a wave of ASB incidents directed at buses and bus drivers across Merseyside in the last month
All bus services have been suspended at Halewood Bus Station this evening (Tuesday, February 17) following reports of antisocial behaviour. Arriva North West said in a post on X that no services would be stopping at the station, which consists of several stops on Leather’s Lane within the Halewood Shopping Centre complex.
The company wrote: “Due to antisocial behaviour, no services will be stopping at Halewood Bus Station.” The disruption comes just two days after buses were halted amid further incidents at the site. At 9.24pm on Sunday (February 15), Arriva North West announced services would not call at the station for the remainder of the evening due to antisocial behaviour.
Merseyside Police confirmed it received a report at around 7.45pm on Sunday of disorder involving a “large group of youths”.
A police spokesperson said the group was responsible for antisocial behaviour and criminal damage, allegedly preventing buses from passing through the terminus and verbally abusing a driver.
Officers attended the scene, but the group had dispersed before they arrived. CCTV enquiries are ongoing to identify those involved. Bus services have since resumed.
A spokesperson for Arriva Merseyside said: “At around 9.15pm on Sunday evening, services were temporarily withdrawn from Halewood Bus Station following dangerous anti-social behaviour, in which objects were thrown at buses and drivers were subjected to verbal abuse.
“The decision to suspend services was taken to protect the safety of our customers and colleagues.
“Services resumed as normal this morning. We apologise for the disruption and are working with our TravelSafe partners regarding the incident.”
Local policing Chief Inspector Ray Mavrakakis said: “This type of disruptive behaviour is totally deplorable, and the safety of bus drivers and passengers is our priority.
“To prevent a bus driver, who provides a vital service to the community, from doing his duties is unacceptable.
“We are carrying out CCTV enquiries and will be working with Knowsley Council and schools in the area to identify the perpetrators to ensure they will be dealt with.
“We will not tolerate this despicable behaviour which causes unnecessary upset to the whole neighbourhood, so don’t be surprised if you are one of the perpetrators that gets a knock on the door.
“We don’t want to arrest or criminalise a young person, but if incidents continue to escalate we need to take formal action.
“Everyone has the right to feel safe and no one should be subjected to anti-social behaviour in their communities.
“While we are working with partner agencies to prevent issues from taking place, we also need the support of parents to take responsibility of what their child is doing, and ensure they are not causing misery that impacts everyone in the community including their own families.”
There has been a wave of ASB directed at buses and bus drivers across Merseyside in the last month, including in the same location.
At 7.54pm on Saturday, January 10, Arriva North West said on X: “Due to anti-social behaviour, all Halewood services will not serve Halewood bus station.”
The ECHO approached Merseyside Police for more information on the Halewood incident. In a statement, Arriva said services would be suspended again in Halewood on the following Monday (January 12) due to “continued concerns”.
The incident came just two hours after a gang of youths started a fire on the upstairs deck of a bus parked outside Morrisons supermarket in Speke before assaulting the driver. Buses were also diverted from the Pendle Estate in Bootle on Sunday, January 25 due to ASB.
Anyone who witnessed anti-social behaviour at Halewood bus terminus last night can contact Merseyside Police social media desk via X @MerPolCC or on Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’.
You can also report information via the website: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ or call 101 quoting reference 26000128039.
Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously In an emergency always call 999.
Ensure our latest news and what’s on headlines always appear at the top of your Google search by making us a preferred source. Click here to activate or add us as a preferred source in your Google search settings.
