EVENING buses are being diverted from a busy road after a series of yob attacks in Henbury – days after the area was held up as an example of beating anti-social behaviour.

Operator First has stopped running its evening services through Crow Lane because they have come under attack from thugs hurling stones and fireworks after dark.

The move comes just two weeks after Home Secretary Jacqui Smith visited Crow Lane to be told the area was getting to grips with its crime problems.

Residents say some attacks have seen teenagers walking onto zebra crossings to make buses stop before pelting them with rocks and aiming fireworks at them. Other incidents include youths pressing the buses' emergency stop buttons to make them stop before launching attacks.

First says the diversion is temporary and police say they are stepping up patrols in the area to tackle the problem.

But Henbury ward councillor Mark Weston said: "I am absolutely aghast. We can't have transport policy dictated by delinquent yobs."

The Conservative councillor said the trouble started last Friday as schools started their half-term break.

A spokeswoman for First said: "Regrettably we have had to temporarily divert evening services away from Crow Lane due to a number of incidents that have placed passengers and drivers at risk.

"We will look to remove the diversion next week, but safety is our number one concern and we are keeping the situation under review."

One shop worker, who did not wish to be named, said: "I don't blame First – it has to be done, but the diversions do mean problems for the elderly people round here. I was told about an 80-year-old woman who got dropped at the top of Crow Lane because the driver could not drive down here, and she had to walk for about half a mile to get home in the dark."

Diversions along nearby Wyck Beck Road and Station Road have been put in place after 7pm for services 1, 40/40A and 77, with the exception of the last bus of the evening where possible.

It is not the first time buses have had to be diverted in the area because of yobs. In September 2003 First diverted buses away from Crow Lane and Station Road after a number of incidents in which bus windows were smashed by yobs, at a time when residents were branding the area a "no-go zone". After evening services returned, First paid for police to be posted on buses.

Yobs have also caused problems for the area's shops, which had to install a CCTV system in 2005. The same year the Co-op store in Crow Lane took to playing easy-listening and classical music on a speaker outside to drive away youths.

Other areas which have seen evening bus services diverted after attacks by yobs include North Worle, Weston-super-Mare, Highridge and Peasedown St John.

Several Henbury residents told the Evening Post yesterday they felt Crow Lane had been "dressed up" for the Home Secretary's visit.

Malcolm Smith, 58, said: "The day Jacqui Smith came along was one thing, the reality is something different. They made it look good for her."

But Henbury Councillor Derek Pickup (Lab), whose responsibilities include crime, said: "That's not the case. All they did was a security check and cleaned away graffiti, which would have been dealt with anyway."

Chief Inspector Debbie Palmer- Lawrence, who is responsible for policing in North Bristol, said: "We have received some reports of youths throwing stones at buses and pressing the emergency stop button when travelling, causing problems for the driver and passengers. We have stepped up our patrols and have more officers on the late shift this week as a response to these incidents."

Residents with information about yobs should call police on 0845 456 7000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. For more information on First's diversions, call customer services on 0845 6020156.