Yobs hurled a rock at a bus carrying school children - and then lobbed another missile at the replacement service.

Passenger Billy Dudey, 27, who was travelling on the bus which is used mostly by Homewood School children, branded those responsible as “idiots”.

The catering assistant was returning home from his job in Tenterden on the Stagecoach 2a service in Woodchurch Road when the missile was thrown.

The rock broke a window leaving pieces of shattered glass all over the bus floor.

“The bus was travelling through a wooded area just outside Shadoxhurst when we heard a loud bang,” said Mr Dudey, who was travelling at about 4pm on Thursday, July 12.

“A woman had been sitting in the seat where the rock struck and had only moved because it was too hot on that side of the bus.

“Thankfully she moved otherwise she could have been seriously injured.”

The bus was packed with pupils from Homewood School who were on their way home at the end of the day.

Mr Dudey added: “The bus driver was very calm and she immediately checked if everyone was OK.

“She drove the short distance into Shadoxhurst at a snail’s pace and waited for help.”

But then when the replacement service turned up, the yobs aimed another missile which ricocheted off the bus without causing damage.

Mr Dudey said it took him more than three hours to get home instead of the usual hour.

He added: “The idiots that did this could have killed someone and the bus could have easily veered off the road.”

Teachers at the Homewood School, whose pupils were travelling on the packed service, condemned the reckless actions of the rock-thrower.

A spokesman said: “As a school we consider such behaviour totally unacceptable and it endangers lives.

"We await the results of the bus company and police investigations.”

A spokesman for Stagecoach labelled it a "reckless" act, saying: “A route 2A bus carrying passengers including school children was struck by a large stone on Thursday afternoon.

"A side window was smashed and the bus had to be taken out of service.

"The replacement bus was also struck in the same vicinity, but no passengers were on board at the time. Thankfully it appears that no one was hurt in either incident.”

“This was a reckless and criminal act which we take very seriously.

"The police are investigating and we encourage anyone with information to contact them. Whoever did this may not realise the severity of their actions.

"Using stones as missiles and targeting moving vehicles is extremely dangerous."