POLICE officers are going undercover on buses after drivers threatened to stop collecting schoolchildren following a spate of bad behaviour by yobs.

Officers from Lancashire police, and officials from Lancashire County Council's safer travel unit and Burnley Council are involved in the crackdown.

It follows numerous complaints about youngsters on public transport in the town.

In the latest swoop more than a dozen schoolchildren were taken off two Burnley and Pendle Travel services in Burnley on Friday - and police say more action will follow with both undercover and uniformed officers and council officials making regular trips onboard buses to monitor behaviour.

Complaints have included youngsters pouring drink on the floor, shouting and swearing and one case of bullying.

In some cases the level of behaviour has become so bad that drivers have said if it continues they will simply drive past youngsters at bus stops and not pick them up.

The Burnley and Pendle Travel services affected last week were the 111 and 112, which go from Rosegrove, to Burnley General Hospital and on to Nelson.

The 12 youngsters removed from buses were given written warnings about their behaviour.

One Burnley and Pendle driver, who asked not to be named, said: "Things have got so bad that it is the talk of the canteen at work and drivers are saying they just won't pick the kids up.

"Last week a driver turned his bus around because of the behaviour and went back to the bus station.

"It is not acceptable that drivers or passengers should have to tolerate this poor behaviour. People keep asking us how we put up with this job."

Sergeant Phil Hutchinson, who is running the crackdown, known as Gateway Checks, said drivers should not have to put up with such abuse.

He said his officers would be joined in the crackdown by officials from the two councils.

Sgt Hutchinson added: "The message is simple: this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated on bus services.

"Both undercover officers and community bobbies will be travelling on routes and we will carry out further pre-planned operations to remove unruly passengers."

James Dunbar, operations manager for Burnley and Pendle Travel, said: "We will fully co-operate with the Gateway Checks, working alongside the police and safer travel unit to identify those individuals or groups that cause problems and behave in an unacceptable manner, affecting both drivers and the public."

Earlier this year bus drivers were issued with DNA sample kits to help catch passengers who spit at them after an increase in the vile attacks.

And the latest move follows on from police going undercover last month and posing as taxi drivers to catch louts who were stoning taxis in Burnley.