TRANSPORT chiefs have backed a study aimed at toughening-up bus shelters.

Up to 2,000 new shelters are being installed in Greater Manchester over the next five years.

Now Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority's Policy Committee has put £25,000 towards a University of Salford study to identify the most durable anti-vandal resistant glazing materials on the market for use in bus shelter panels.

Chairman Cllr Andrew Fender, explained: "Bus shelter vandalism is a big problem across the UK and, unfortunately, Greater Manchester has more than its fair share of trouble. We have forged strong partnerships with the police, local authorities and community groups in an effort to combat this mindless activity, but if we can toughen up our shelters, all the better.

"This study will thoroughly assess alternative glazing materials which have more recently come on the market so that the shelter panels can better resist vandalism and provide a safer environment for bus passengers.

"Our overriding aim is to try and identify a transparent durable material. We know that passengers feel more secure when they can be seen in the bus shelter and, by the same token, potential criminals are more likely to be deterred if they risk being spotted by passers by."

The county's 3,500 bus shelters are provided and maintained under contract to GMPTE by JC Decaux and funded purely from commercial advertising.