POLICE are appealing for help after missiles were thrown at three buses in separate incidents in Darlington.

Two of the incidents took place at 4pm yesterday and involved Stagecoach's double-decker school buses taking Carmel RC College students home.

The first happened in Hammond Drive, on the Skerne Park estate, where an upstairs window was broken.

A spokesman for Stagecoach estimated that about 50 pupils would have been on board at the time.

The company had to stop the service and provide another bus to transport youngsters on the rest of the route via Firthmoor.

The second incident happened in Coombe Drive, on the Red Hall estate, when a stone was thrown at a downstairs window on the school service bus, which had about 20 pupils on board.

Another bus took pupils the rest of the route down Haughton Road and into Eastmount Road.

The spokesman said: "Luckily no one was hurt in either case, and the drivers were fine, although there was a lot of glass around and it will cost a lot to fix the windows."

The third incident, which was also at 4pm, took place in Minors Crescent, Branksome, when the window of Arriva service 22 bus was brokend after a stone was thrown at it.

Sergeant Alan Watson, of Darlington police, said: "It is pure coincidence that three buses in three different areas have been targeted like this, and it is just lucky no one has been hurt.

"The dark nights have perhaps given people the opportunity to throw stones with a level of anonymity.

"We would like to speak to those responsible and anyone who saw anything should come forward."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Darlington police on (01325) 467681 or their local beat officer.