FURIOUS busmen today hit back at a "like-it-or-lump-it" deal put to them in a bid to cut costs.

In a letter from Blackburn Transport chiefs, the men had been told to accept reduced pay and conditions, or be sacked.

And they had been warned that if they did not accept the terms on offer, following the deregulation of bus services in October, they would be kept on for only as long as it took to fill their jobs with cheaper labour.

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