POLICE and transport staff have issued a danger warning after a spate of incidents in which objects were thrown at buses, trains and trams.

Transport for Greater Manchester says that in the last 12 months there have been six reports of items being hurled at buses in Bury.

This week three buses had their windows smashed in Salford, Wigan and Manchester, while Altrincham and Bury interchange toilet facilities were vandalised.

And on Friday last week, a Northern train driver was injured after a brick was thrown through a train window as it was travelling towards Clifton. The operator is now offering a £1,000 reward to anyone who can help to identify the person responsible.

All the incidents are now being investigated by the TravelSafe Partnership, made up of Greater Manchester Police, British Transport Police, Transport for Greater Manchester and service operators.

Officers are reviewing footage to identify those involved and combining intelligence to target patrols.

Each week police officers and transport staff spend 5,000 hours patrolling the networks, and viewing the 3,800 CCTV cameras that operate round the clock.

Superintendent Julie Ellison from Greater Manchester Police's Specialist Operations Team, said: “Objects being thrown at a moving vehicle can cause significant damage, as well as cause the driver to lose control and possibly cause a collision. There is no excuse for this behaviour, which is putting the lives of others at risk.

“I would ask those who are thinking about doing such a thing, to contemplate the potentially devastating consequences that that one moment could have, not only for those who could be seriously injured or even killed, but for themselves, as our officers will take appropriate enforcement action against anyone caught throwing items at a vehicle.

“As half-term approaches, I would also like to ask parents for their support. It’s important that you know where your children are going and talk to them about the consequences of this dangerous behaviour.”

Bev Hughes, Greater Manchester Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire, said: “Crime and anti-social behaviour occurring on our public transport network, throwing objects at moving trams and buses, intimidating passengers and crews, is wholly unacceptable – it can make travelling an unpleasant experience, deterring people from using our trains, trams and buses. All residents and staff on our public transport in Greater Manchester are entitled to feel safe and comfortable.

“That is why we are taking steps to crack down on such aggressive, dangerous, and often illegal, behaviour through the proactive work of Greater Manchester Police’s Transport Unit and TravelSafe officers.

"The police are also renewing their drive to tackle anti-social behaviour, with a 25 per cent increase in arrests by GMP since August.

"Steps to channel GMP resources onto neighbourhood policing across Greater Manchester, which will include a focus on tackling anti-social behaviour in all our communities, are also well under way.”

Across the city region there have been 100 incidents of missiles being thrown at buses over the past 12 months, while objects were thrown at Metrolink trams more than 150 times.

In some cases, the attacks on buses result in services being diverted or withdrawn from routes, impacting the wider community by potentially isolating those reliant on buses for essential travel.