A BUS had its window broken when it was pelted with stones by a group of youths.

The 575 First Manchester had stopped on Chorley New Road, Horwich, on Tuesday night when around six or seven stones were thrown at it.

Fortunately, there was only one person on the bus and he was sat away from the window.

Ben Towers, aged 29, had boarded the bus near the Toll Bar Inn in Horwich after finishing his shift at the Burger King at Rivington service station and was heading home to Breightmet.

He said that at around 9.15pm the bus was pulling into the stop near Horwich RMI, when he saw the group of around three or four youths standing in the street.

"I heard six or seven stones hit the window and one went through. If someone had been sat there they would have been hit, it could have done some serious damage."

The youths ran off after throwing the stones.

The driver decided to put the bus into not in service and took Mr Towers straight to Bolton interchange to finish his journey.

A First Manchester spokesman said: “Thankfully we have had no reports of injuries, but we are now working with the TravelSafe Partnership to review the on board CCTV footage to help identify the individuals involved, as these acts could have led to a serious incident.

“The TravelSafe Partnership was established to reduce antisocial behaviour and crime on the region’s public transport network and as a result of this incident, it’s likely that people will see an increase in police presence on public transport over the coming weeks.”