A bus strike in Brighton and Hove is looking inevitable after a final offer was rejected by drivers.

Roger French, managing director of Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company, said a 6% average pay rise with a £300 lump sum was turned down by the Unite trade union yesterday.

He added that the 7.3% average increase requested by the union was "unreasonable" and, if agreed, the increased cost would have to be passed on to bus passengers through fares, which are already going to rise this summer because of the spiralling cost of diesel.

But Dave Weeks, regional industrial organiser with Unite, rejected the accusation, claiming the deal offered nothing new.

Mr French said: "The union has rejected what I thought was a very constructive offer.

"I do not see why the public should have to pay further fare increases for a double-inflation pay rise for drivers.

"Bus drivers in the city have had pay increases double the retail prices index in the past six years.

"There is a limit to how much we can continue with that."

Mr Weeks said: "The offer was no different, it was just moving money around, taking from one and giving to another.

"This is the Man United of the bus industry offering Derby County wages.

"At this stage, I do not think the pay increase would have to be passed on to passengers."

Bus drivers rejected a pay increase from the company ranging between 4% and 8% depending on drivers' length of service, last month.

The new offer would have put all drivers who had worked for the company for more than a year on the same wage from August.

But Unite said that because the company had not pledged extra cash, those who had worked the longest would receive a lower pay rise.

Under the scheme proposed by Mr French, veteran drivers would receive a 2.4% increase, along with a £300 lump sum, while Unite is calling for a 4% rise and wants the salary to be backdated to February.

Unite will meet with members this evening to discuss a 24 or 48-hour strike.

Mr Weeks said no decision had been taken but the union already had the mandate to call a strike after it voted in favour last month.

GMB union members accepted the previous deal.

Mr French said the company would do as much as it could to stop a strike from taking place by continuing to talk to the union.