AN action plan is being put in place after youths smashed a bus window, resulting in bus services being withdrawn from an estate.

Community leaders, police and Darlington Borough Council officers met on the Red Hall estate yesterday to address the problem of children stoning vehicles.

A string of attacks on buses going on to the estate culminated in a window being broken on a number 19 Green Bus Company bus on Thursday. The company's three services to the estate were withdrawn over fears for customer and driver safety.

But now names of suspects have been passed to the police, who will be speaking to those involved, and the company has resumed its services to the estate.

Richard Cranmer, managing director of the Green Bus Company, is also analysing closed-circuit security television footage from all the buses that were on the estate on Thursday afternoon, to obtain evidence.

He said at the meeting yesterday that children hid in bushes and trees on a grass embankment in Coombe Drive, near Anfield Court, and threw stones at buses as they slowed to negotiate the bend.

"We called the police about it seven or eight times on Tuesday. It is often a problem, and as the light nights have come, it always gets worse," he said.

"Since we started at the end of November we have probably made 25 calls to the police about this on this estate, but often incidents go unreported. A truer figure for the number of actual incidents is probably double that."

Terry Collins, the council's assistant director of environmental services, said work would start next week on thinning the bushes and shrubs to prevent youngsters hiding there.

Inspector Sue Collingwood said beat officer PC Jonathan Stoker would draw up an action plan for the area, with the council's wardens also increasing patrols.

Sue Davison, from Darlington council, said: "It is important these services continue. We fought long and hard for these services and we need to show they are sustainable for the future."

Martin Landers, chairman of the Red Hall Community Partnership, said the problem was caused by a small minority, and the majority of children on the estate were good.