Davy Thompson, Unite Regional Coordinating Officer

Last night’s attack included stone-throwing and attempts to board a bus as well as a Translink monitoring car

Davy Thompson, Unite Regional Coordinating Officer condemned those responsible for last night’s attack on bus services in the Lagmore estate in Belfast.

“Last night a group of youths gathered in the Lagmore area made attempts to board the Metro bus service. When this did not succeed they proceeded to stone the bus. The same actions occurred to a Translink car which was monitoring the service.

“This is now the fourth night in a row of attacks on the bus service in Lagmore and appears to coincide with the mid-term break. These acts of mindless violence threaten not just the safety of bus drivers but that of passengers. Unfortunately there is a history of attacks on bus services in the Lagmore area and services only recently returned to the estate after assurances were provided by local political and community leaders.

“Workers have the right to go about their day’s work entirely free from the threat of assault – the right to leave their homes in the expectation that they will be to be safe. This assault on these workers is by extension an attack on every worker in Northern Ireland.

“Unite will be discussing our response to these attacks with our members – but their safety and the safety of the travelling public must be prioritised. If anyone has information about these attacks we are calling on them to provide it to the police or Translink so that those responsible can be brought to book for their actions”, Mr Thompson said.