An environmentally friendly bus company that runs its vehicles on recycled cooking oil has been fined for prematurely stopping services.

The Big Lemon Bus Company was fined £450 by the traffic commissioner after a public inquiry was told the company had ceased its services in December last year without completing a statutory notice period.

A service has since started running again.

Company boss Tom Druitt told a hearing yesterday at the offices of the commissioner in Ivy Terrace, Eastbourne, that he had no real alternative than to pull buses off the road after a driver walkout and concerns that his vehicles had been sabotaged.

After the ruling by commissioner Philip Brown, Mr Druitt said: "We are pleased by the decision. We messed up and we accept that. We have done our best to make amends and the commissioner has accepted that we have put in the necessary measures not to mess up again.

"Obviously it is £450 we could have spent on something else but it's not the end of the world. It has been fair."

The public inquiry into the breaches of the bus company's licence was called for by the Big Lemon itself so it could explain fully why it felt it necessary to stop its services on its 42 and 42X routes between Falmer and Brighton railway stations.

The firm's lawyer Robert Tresman argued the driver walkout and the threat of sabotage were exceptional circumstances.

Mr Druitt explained to the commissioner that the company's previous operating base had little security and that after one particular incident when a bus had wires cut, he felt it necessary to stop services.

In his ruling Mr Brown said: "I consider the imposition of the maximum penalty - which would be £550 multiplied by the three vehicles registered on the licence, so £1,650 - would be disproportionate, given that Mr Druitt recognises and accepts where his responsibilities lie as a holder of a public service licence."

Several students from the University of Sussex attended to support the company, which has attracted a cult following on the Falmer campus.

Sophie London, 21, said: "People will be relieved the Big Lemon is still running.

There's a lot of support and affection for it."

The firm started running buses again last month, having served a waiting period instigated by the commissioner.

What's your opinion of the Big Lemon bus service?