BUSMEN are working in an atmosphere of fear as attacks on drivers and ambushes by gangs of youths increase, according to one Blackpool Transport employee.

And he claims neither the company nor the police are doing anything to help them.

The driver who contacted The Citizen said that he thought it was only a matter of time before someone was killed as a result of the attacks.

And he also slammed the authority for not supplying drivers with mobile phones to contact the police as both "ludicrous" and "dangerous."

"My wife wants me to pack the job in because she is so worried," said the driver, who has been with the company a substantial number of years and wants to remain anonymous in fear of recriminations.

"It is not safe with these gangs of kids around throwing bricks and eggs at the buses. At night if a brick came through the window or eggs splattered across the screen you could easily lose control and somebody could easily be killed.

"We also get the problem of one youth stopping the bus and, while he is hassling the driver, his mates go round the back and use the emergency fuel cut off. "That often means the bus is stranded for hours on end. We don't even have mobile phones which means that if the bus brakes down we have to leave it unattended and go to a public phone box, leaving the cash unattended.

"Even if we do call 999 the police are often too busy to deal with the problem. The other week I was driving into Fleetwood and there was a gang of kids throwing bricks at the bus.

"I called the police -- but an hour later when I drove back they were still there, still throwing things."

Drivers have been growing more concerned about their safety after three attacks in three weeks on drivers in St Annes.

A statement from Blackpool Transport said: "There are staff looking at specific solutions to the safety issues and we hope to continue discussions with staff and develop an action plan.It is unfortunate, but these attacks are a sad reflection on society as a whole."

A police spokesman said: "Reports of violence and juvenile nuisance are always a concern to us and we do try to investigate them thoroughly. Obviously we are concerned about these claims and we will look into them."