A MOTHER has spoken of her distress after her young son was attacked by three youths on a bus.

Clark Burton, 12, was hit on the back of the head and verbally abused while he was travelling on a hopper bus between Ilkley and Burley-in-Wharfedale.

Clark caught the bus at 8.50pm on Friday, after visiting a school friend, in Ilkley.

He noticed the three youths board the hopper bus outside Coronation Hospital, in Ilkley.

When the only other passenger got off the bus, near Station Road, in Burley, the youths moved forward.

Two youths sat directly behind Clark and another took a seat opposite the Ilkley Grammar School pupil.

Diane Burton, Clark's mum, said: "It was the youth sat opposite who egged on the other two. They hit Clark severely on the back of the neck.

"The language they used and the names they called my son are unrepeatable."

The youths also threatened to steal his mobile phone, when he received a call from his mother.

He was too frightened to tell her what was happening.

It was only when another man boarded the bus on Langford Lane that the youths moved to the back of the bus.

When Clark stood up to get off, he heard one of the youths threaten to follow him, but they stayed on the bus.

Mrs Burton, of Prospect Road, said she was appalled by Clark's terrifying attack.

She said: "I just feel gutted. It could have been a lot more serious. They could have had a knife when he was on the bus. You just do not know these days.

"He has to walk up a snicket to get to our house and it is quite dark. If they had got

off the bus, it could have been a lot more

serious."

Mrs Burton said she was also angry that the bus driver appeared not to notice the attack.

The care assistant thought of following the bus to Otley Bus Station, where it waits before travelling to Bradford, but decided to call the police instead.

A spokesman for First Bradford said: "The driver concerned has been questioned. He was unaware of any such incident occurring. He also confirmed that no report was made to him when the youth left the bus."

The two youths who sat behind Clark are described as Asian. One was aged between ten and 11, with short hair, with a raised fringe.

He had a stud in his left ear and was wearing a green T-shirt, black trousers and black trainers.

The other was around 5ft tall with short black hair which had a distinctive spiky fringe with bleached tips.

He was wearing a navy blue Ellesse jacket with a zip fastener.

The youth who went to sit opposite Clark was white, and aged around 14.

He is described as stocky, with short, brown hair, a big nose and a cheeky smile.

He was wearing a blue fleece, blue jeans and white Nike trainers.

Mrs Burton said: "Something needs to be done. I just hope they can catch them.

"Clark is quite a sensible boy. He is not one for hanging about and he is now a bit wary about going out.

"He has got a lot of new friends in Ilkley, and I have said he can see them but he has to be on an earlier bus. I do not want anything like this to happen again."