A bus firm is understood to have cut its service to a Sittingbourne housing estate after one of its drivers was assaulted.

Cllr James Hall (Ind), who represents Murston on Swale council, said buses are not using the bus-only route that links the Great Easthall estate to Oak Road.

He said: “Due to an assault on a bus driver, Arriva has cancelled the 349 bus service through the bus lane direction into Great Easthall.

“This incident has denied residents, especially the elderly, a means of getting into the town centre and school children can’t get to Westlands School.”

Cllr Hall said the assault took place in the bus lane on Tuesday, November, 19.

“The driver was punched in the face,” he said.

“The bus was coming down the lane legally but a driver in the opposite direction wouldn’t let the bus through.”

Earlier this year, Arriva cut the same service to the estate, for a few days, because of the dangers posed by cars illegally using the bus-only lane as a rat-run.

Speaking about the latest disruption to the service, Cllr Hall said: “There have been a few incidents of physical assaults in the past few years, as well as numerous verbal threats and recently it’s been escalating.

“There are also near head-on collisions every day from drivers using the bus lane illegally.”

He added: “I applied for a pop-up bollard and CCTV two years ago for the bus lane and have been constantly pursuing either one of these but, here again, nothing has happened.”

Arriva would not confirm if the service had been stopped, but said: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, there have been disruptions to our services travelling to the Great East Hall estate in Murston.

"We are looking into the issues and will update as soon as we are able.”

Police are investigating last month’s assault.

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