TWO girls have been attacked twice in four days as they headed home from a York school.

The Joseph Rowntree School pupils were targeted on two separate occasions while getting off a bus in the city, sparking an appeal from police for witnesses to come forward.

The assaults came after the girls were verbally abused while on the bus.

The victims both needed hospital treatment and two girls, aged 13 and 14, have been arrested. The victims, aged 14 and 16, were targeted on Monday and Friday of last week.

They were subjected to verbal abuse on the Number 1 Wigginton to Chapelfields bus, which had collected a number of pupils from Joseph Rowntree School at 3.15pm on both days.

They were then physically assaulted when they left the bus in Haxby Road on both days. Following the incident on Friday, which police described as the worst of the two attacks, both girls were treated for minor injuries.

The two girls who were arrested have since been released on police bail while further investigations are carried out.

PC Ruth Atkins, of York Police, said: “While most of the passengers on the buses were schoolchildren there were a number of adults on the service bus at the time. I am sure that they will remember the incidents, especially the one that occurred on Monday, as the groups of children were shouting and using offensive language. I ask them to contact me as soon as possible.”

Anyone who witnessed either incident is asked to phone PC Atkins at York Police Station on 0845 60 60 247, quoting reference number 12100201797.

Alternatively phone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.