A WEDDING couple from Bury almost missed the bus after their double-decker plans were left in the station. Paula Moses and bus driver hubby Justin, who married on Saturday, planned to travel from St Thomas' Church in Bury to their wedding reception at the Bolholt Hotel in style - on a bright red, open-topped, double-decker bus. But two hours before they were due to say "I do", they found their dream wedding carriage had already been booked out - to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

Justin, from Pine Street in Bury, paid £25 to book the open-topped bus for his big day.

He said: "When my driver went to pick up the bus from the Bolton depot he was told he couldn't have it because it was being cleaned for John Prescott the next day!

"They offered us another double decker, an orange GM bus, but it was filthy and covered in graffiti."

In desperation, Justin raced to Bury depot to see if he could arrange some alternative wedding transport.

He said: "Thankfully Bury took a cleaner bus out of service for us."

Bus scheduler Colin Voyce at GM Buses said: "Mr Moses contacted us back in January to ask if the bus was available. We told him it was, and sent out a quotation booking form. He never returned it and that was the last we heard from him, until he turned up on Saturday morning."

In the meantime, the bus had been booked to take the Deputy Prime Minister to the opening of a new flight terminal at Manchester Airport.

Despite the last minute hitch, the happy couple say it didn't put the dampeners on their wedding day. Justin said: "Apart from the initial mix-up, the wedding was great."

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