A BURY bus driver has been banned from the roads for 12 months and fined 500 after an elderly couple were knocked down and killed at Bury Interchange.

Paul Davis (37), of Fairlands Road, was cleared by a jury yesterday afternoon of two charges of causing death by dangerous driving but was convicted of driving without due care and attention.

The hearing at Bolton Crown Court followed the deaths of John Steel (91) and his wife Elsie (93) at Bury Interchange on July 3, 2006, just days before they were due to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary.

Davis, a former Scout leader at St Anne's in Tottington, was at the wheel of a single-deck Mercedes bus that struck the couple as they walked across a pedestrian crossing point at Bury bus station.

Mr Steel, a former Bury Council gardener known as Jack to his friends, died at the scene. His wife, a former nurse and an active member of Bury Parish Church, died at Fairfield Hospital later the same day.

Prosecutor Mark Stuart told the jury at Bolton Crown Court that the couple, of Talbot Grove, Walmersley, had already been on the crossing for six seconds before they were knocked down at 10.05am.

The court was played CCTV footage showing that Mr Davis did not brake as he turned right from Haymarket into the bus station.

He said: "Quite simply this defendant did not stop or slow as he crossed the crossing.

"They had been on the crossing six seconds. Failing to see them, in our submission, is way below the standard of a reasonably competent driver."

The day of the accident had been clear and bright, with good visibility.

Bus station inspector Peter Barry told the court that drivers were trained to give way at crossings, which are painted orange and marked by flashing red lights on the ground.

Davis, who wept as he gave evidence on Tuesday, said he did not see the couple until he hit them.

He said: "I'm sorry, I didn't see them. I looked at the crossing and I could not see anybody."

Accident investigator Philip Mottram said Davis's vision could have been obscured by the nearside wing mirror of his bus but Davis said he was not aware of any blindspot.

The prosecution said that if Davis's vision had been obscured it would only have been briefly and that the driver should have moved his head to make sure he could see the crossing.

Mr Stuart added: "If you're going to turn into somewhere, it's your responsibility as a driver to make sure the way is clear."

It was estimated that Davis was driving at about 10mph when he hit the couple, but this could not be proved. There is an advisory 5 mph limit in the Interchange.

Mr Paul O'Brien, defending, raised the issue of an improvement notice served on Greater Manchester bus stations by the Health and Safety Executive, suggesting that the crossing points themselves could be dangerously placed.

Sentencing, Judge Timothy Clayson told the defendant: "It is true that those few seconds of carelessness have left a family grieving over the deaths of two much-loved people.

"It is also true that you have been racked with guilt and remorse to the point that you've had to have professional assistance."

A statement issued after the case by the couple's daughter, Pat Webber, said: "I am pleased at the jury's decision but I do wish that my family and me had not had to go through the hearing.

"I cannot say I feel angry at the driver because I know he did not go out to hurt anyone. At the end of the day, feeling like that will not alter the fact they are not here any more.

"We are a big family and will miss them terribly.

"We were planning their 70th wedding anniversary, a joint party with two of their great grandchildren who were celebrating their 18th and 20th birthdays. Of course, we did not celebrate in the end."