Arriva said its staff should be able to go to work ‘without fear’
An empty bus stop on Western Avenue in Speke on Saturday night after buses were suspended(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Buses in two areas of Merseyside could be suspended again tonight (Tuesday, January 13) if anti-social behaviour continues. At around 5.15pm on Saturday, January 10, Merseyside Police received a report that a group of youths had started a fire on the upstairs deck of a bus parked outside Morrisons on Penketh Drive in Speke.
The youths managed to escape when the bus driver went upstairs. After confronting them outside, he was assaulted and his glasses were broken. He managed to drive away without getting injured. Officers attended and are carrying out enquiries, including obtaining CCTV footage.
Just after 5.30pm on Saturday, Arriva North West announced that all bus services heading to Speke Morrisons had been suspended until the end of the evening following the incident, which it described on X as a “serious ASB (anti-social behaviour) incident”.
Buses were terminated at Woodend Avenue instead. Arriva Merseyside said the attack was “completely unacceptable”. Services heading to Halewood Bus Station were also suspended due to further anti-social behaviour later that evening.
Yesterday (Monday, January 12) services heading to Speke Morrisons and Halewood Bus Station were suspended again from 6pm to 10pm. A spokesperson for Arriva Merseyside said yesterday: “A serious antis-ocial behaviour incident took place on one of our services in Speke on Saturday evening.
“The behaviour directed at our driver was completely unacceptable and posed a severe risk to safety.
“As a precaution, services were temporarily withdrawn from Speke and later Halewood Bus Station, due to further anti-social behaviour in the area.
Bus stops outside Morrisons in Speke(Image: Liverpool Echo)
“While these were separate locations, the decisions were taken for the same reason, to protect staff and customers. Due to continued concerns, services in those areas remain temporarily withdrawn between 6pm and 10pm.
“These decisions are not taken lightly, but the safety of our staff and passengers must come first. Our colleagues should be able to go to work without fear and our customers deserve to travel safely.
“We will always take decisive action where safety is compromised and we’ll continue to work with the police to help prevent further incidents.”
When the ECHO asked Arriva about tonight’s services into Speke and Halewood, a spokesperson said the timetable would be “put back to normal tonight”.
However, they added services would be “closely monitored and withdrawn again if needed”.
Bus stops at Halewood Shopping Centre(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The ECHO reported in February of last year that gangs of children as young as 10 were “setting fire to buses, blocking roads and launching fireworks at traffic” in Speke. Some of these incident took place outside the Morrisons store.
Anyone who witnessed the incident in Speke should contact Merseyside Police social media desk via X @MerPolCC or on Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’.
You can also report information via the police’s website: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ or call 101 quoting reference 26000026824.
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.