VANDALS have struck again damaging buses run by the Tenbury Transport Trust.

Dashboard cameras were taken and broken and a wing mirror damaged in the latest act of vandalism on the Palmers’ Meadow car park.

John Driver, chairman of the trust, has said that extra surveillance will be put in place and there is a plan to install a CCTV camera to watch over the buses.

The latest, incident, the second this year again happened overnight.

“It is very frustrating but fortunately put any of the buses out of action or result in us having to cancel any services,” said John Driver.

But it is concerning that the vandalism took place in a public area during what are still relatively short summer nights.

It is the second such incident this year and follows a serious vandalism incident in February.

That incident happened just three days after the trust took delivery of a new mini bus from the government.

One of the buses was broken into and vandalised although it was not the new vehicle that the trust had been waiting for on more than a year.

The bus involved was one that is leased from Worcestershire County Council.

It is believed that vandals made two visits to the bus while it was parked overnight in the car park near Tenbury swimming pool.

Damage to the bus included two stolen fire extinguishers, the extinguisher brackets broken and twisted where the fire extinguishers had been ripped out the brackets.

A First Aid kit was pulled off its bracket, a box at the rear of the bus which contains electrical wiring had had the lid broken and the wires and possibly tampered with.

Three litres of screen wash disappeared, leaving only the empty bottle, cigarette butts were on the seats and the floor and it is believed that the vandals had been smoking cannabis.

Litter of various kinds had been dumped, the bus radio was blaring and every seat in the vehicle has been jumped on with muddy shoes that has left the furniture and the floor filthy dirty.

Tenbury Transport Trust would like a locked and secure garage to keep its buses and recognises that they are vulnerable parked out in the open.

The buses are parked in the town council's swimming pool car park as Tenbury Town Council allow the trust to park them for free.

Unfortunately, there is no CCTV in operation but John Driver wants steps to be taken to rectify this.

Tenbury Transport Trust received its new bus as part of a government scheme to provide better transport in isolated rural areas.

Buses operate services to both Leominster and Kidderminster as well as being available for groups to hire. Passengers have to book their journeys in advance as the buses are not allowed to pick up from stops like traditional buses.

As well as the bus services, the trust also has a team of volunteer car drivers who use their own vehicles to take people to important appointments such as on visits to GP surgeries and hospitals.