DRIVERS at First Manchester's Bolton depot will not strike on Monday after a revised pay offer was agreed.

All services operated by the depot, in Great Lever will now run as expected.

Drivers at the depot, who belong to the Unite trade union, have accepted a revised pay offer.

Strike action was originally held on Monday, October 2, bringing widespread disruption to the bus network and was expected to take place on every Monday in October.

However last Monday, October 9, action was called off while talks took place over a new pay offer and staff at the depot will hold no further action this month.

All services from the depot, including school buses, will now run as normal this month.

Staff at First Manchester's Rusholme depot will take strike action and services from here are not expected to run.

Phil Medlicott, Managing Director at First Manchester, said: “We’re extremely disappointed that staff from one of our depots have decided to take strike action despite an improved offer being put forward. I am truly sorry that our customers will be affected by this action.”

No buses in and around Bolton, that operate from the depot ran on October 2 as 679 drivers from the Bolton and Rusholme depots took part in industrial action.

A total of 679 drivers across the firm’s Bolton and Rusholme depots were involved in the industrial action, which they plan to extend to every Monday this month.

The original pay offers made by First Manchester were said to be well below inflation by Unite.

The news will come as welcome news to commuters but further strike action on buses is set to be held this month.

More than 2,000 bus drivers and engineering staff working for Arriva North West in Bolton and at 10 other depots are set to hold a series of one-day strikes in a dispute over pay.

Members of Unite will walk out on October 19, 23 and 30, after crisis talks over pay broke down, affecting services in Bolton as well as Birkenhead, Bootle, Macclesfield, Runcorn, St Helens, Speke, Southport, Winsford and Wythenshawe.

Drivers at the company are looking for 'fair and reasonable pay.

Picket lines will be assembling outside of all Arriva North West depots on the strike days.

Unite want the company to address wage inequality between depots, which they say can be as much as £1.73 an hour and could rise to £2 under Arriva’s latest pay offer.