Police have arrested two boys after a coach company in Midsomer Norton suffered extensive damage in an incident that is expected to have a wider impact on local transport services.
Some of the damage caused at the depot | Photo courtesy of Avon & Somerset Police
Officers were called just before 8pm on Monday 13th April to Centurion Travel’s storage yard in West Road, Welton, after staff were alerted to the damage.
When company employees arrived, they reported seeing five people at the site with their faces covered and believed they were all teenagers.
One person was detained at the scene before police arrived.
A boy in his mid-teens was initially arrested there, but police later said it was necessary to de-arrest him and take him home. He is due to be interviewed at a later date.
A second boy, also in his mid-teens, was arrested on Tuesday 14th April on suspicion of criminal damage and remains in police custody.
The damage caused at the depot was significant. Two minibuses, five single-decker coaches and three double-decker vehicles were damaged, along with two privately owned cars.
Police said almost every window in the coaches had been smashed. Three further vehicles described as vintage models being preserved as part of travel heritage were also damaged and are expected to be very difficult to repair.
Centurion Travel managing director Martin Spiller said the consequences would be felt not only by the family-run business but by the local community as well.
He said nothing like it had happened since the company opened its depot in Welton in 1973, and that the firm was now facing repair costs running into tens of thousands of pounds, as well as the need to find replacement vehicles to keep its contracts running.
Mr Spiller said the company operates school services in Bath and North East Somerset and that his immediate focus was to ensure services could continue when schools return after the Easter holidays.
Police are appealing for anyone with relevant dashcam or other footage, or any information that could assist the investigation, to call 101 quoting reference 5226100931, or contact them through the police website.
Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.
