CHRISTMAS travel misery has been averted for thousands of festive shoppers and revellers after Arriva bus drivers agreed to accepted a new pay deal.

The agreement by members of Unite and the GMB nions means that six days of strike in the lead up to Christmas will not now go ahead.

The unions who were balloted on the deal voted to accept a 3.3 per cent pay rise in the first year and 2.6 per cent in the second year.

Phil Stone, managing director of Arriva North West said: “Arriva North West is delighted that our latest offer of a two year pay agreement has been accepted by our drivers.

"Throughout this dispute we have maintained that talks and compromise on both sides are the only way to find a resolution.

"This new agreement means our passengers no longer face the prospect of disruption in the run up to Christmas."

Mr Stone added: "We hold our drivers in the highest regard and this pay offer is a demonstration of our commitment to invest in our workforce.

"We apologise to our passengers for the disruption over recent weeks and are delighted we can now return to delivering the best possible service to our passengers and the local economy."

Arriva North West operates bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire and Merseyside.

Unite regional officer John Boughton said: “This pay deal that our members have overwhelmingly accepted is a considerable improvement when set against the company’s original offer of 0.9 per cent for year one.

 “I would like to thank our members for the solidarity they have shown during this dispute and the fantastic support they received from the public and local politicians across the north west, which greatly contributed to this victory for pay justice.

 “The bus drivers now look forward to doing what they do best, which is helping people to travel to work, getting to the shops, and visiting their friends and loved ones. The planned industrial action in the run-up to Christmas has been called off.

 “Unite looks forward to working in a constructive fashion with the management going forward.”