Buses were avoiding several stops on their route last week after more than a dozen instances of windows being smashed.

Arriva 480 and 490 services were terminating at the Lion Roundabout, with stops between there and Mackenzie Way and Riverview Drive not being served while advice was sought from police.

The disruption lasted for most of last Wednesday.

An Arriva spokesman said: “Following some safety issues in the Valley Drive area, buses were terminating at Lion roundabout on Wednesday, October 11.

“However, I am pleased to say that normal service resumed the following morning.

“We are now working closely with the police who are patrolling the area.

“The safety of our passengers and drivers is always paramount but fortunately we have had no further incidents.”

Last year, Arriva’s 190 service stopped using nearby Dering Way because drivers were being targeted by vandals with catapults and air rifles.

Around 200 drivers signed a petition refusing to go down there, leaving regular users, many of them elderly, facing a 10-minute walk to get to the nearest alternative stop.

The Dering Way part of the route was out of action for more than four months as a result.