TEENAGE vandals who put schoolchildren in danger by kicking out a top deck bus window will not face police action, it was revealed last night.Three pupils from Sudbury Upper School have been suspended for five days after an investigation by staff found they were responsible for kicking out the sheet of glass as the bus approached a group of students waiting at a bus stop in nearby Glemsford.

Will Clarke

TEENAGE vandals who put schoolchildren in danger by kicking out a top deck bus window will not face police action, it was revealed last night.

Three pupils from Sudbury Upper School have been suspended for five days after an investigation by staff found they were responsible for kicking out the sheet of glass as the bus approached a group of students waiting at a bus stop in nearby Glemsford.

They have also been told they will be banned from the school bus indefinitely - a punishment school chiefs believe will significantly inconvenience the trio.

Bosses at Hedingham Omnibus, which is contracted to run the route, said it was third time windows had been kicked out and on the last occasion - on March 3 - a 15kg pane of glass landed only feet away from where pupils were standing at the Glemsford stop.

Robert McGregor, owner of Hedingham Omnibus - which has a base in Sudbury, said he wanted action to stop the “mindless vandalism” he claimed could make the service unworkable.

But yesterday he said he was satisfied with action taken by David Forrest, headteacher of Sudbury Upper.

Mr McGregor said: “Were very pleased with the schools' response. They have done everything they can to stop this from happening again.”

Mr Forrest said he was confident the punishment would be adequate and draw a line under a potentially “hugely serious” spate of vandalism.

He said: “School transport is something we are worried about and although strictly we don't have responsibility for it we do take these incidents hugely seriously.

“It is an appropriate punishment for pupils who were being as reckless as these were with their own and other people's safety.

“Being banned from the buses will be a considerable problem for them because the alternatives, which are left to them, are less convenient and more expensive.”

A police spokeswoman for Suffolk police confirmed officers had begun an investigation but said they would be taking no action following the punishment meted out by the school.

She said: “No police action will be taken following an incident on a bus travelling between Sudbury and Glemsford. The individuals involved have been dealt with by their school.”