Bus owner 'never seen anything like' vandal attack

Travelmasters owner Tim Lambkin said the company "received hundreds of calls of support" from customers

A bus company owner said he was "speechless" after about 80% of his fleet was vandalised in one night, disrupting school runs in Kent.

Drivers discovered 36 damaged vehicles when they arrived at the Travelmasters depot on Dorset Road, Sheerness, on Wednesday, according to the company.

Kent Police said officers had charged 65-year-old Graham Barden, of Durrell Gardens in Chatham, with criminal damage and possession of an offensive weapon.

The company said it operated a full school run service on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.

Nearly 2,000 pupils reportedly had their journeys disrupted on Wednesday morning.

The damage to windows and headlights was discovered just before 05:00 BST as drivers arrived to collect their buses for the school run.

"I have been driving buses for 40 years but I've never seen anything like this," Travelmasters owner Tim Lambkin said.

'Huge blow to us'

The company has a Kent County Council contract to take children on the Isle of Sheppey to secondary school and operates the 360 and 362 bus routes.

An estimated 46 windows and 27 headlights had to be replaced after the incident.

Mr Lambkin, who has borrowed four replacement vehicles from another operator, said: "This has left me speechless, but we have received hundreds of calls of support from our customers."

According to the Travelmasters boss, staff "pulled out all the stops to turn this around".

"I won't lie, this has been a huge blow to us, but we won't be beaten," he said.

"To say we had a bad day at the office is a bit of an understatement."