A passenger was arrested and fined after complaining to the driver about a group of drunken yobs on a bus.

Marnie Eleazer, 55, was one of a number of passengers upset by the racket being created by about 12 teenage girls on the 2A to Hangleton in Hove.

She told The Argus she approached the driver to object after he allowed several of the girls to get off the bus and go to the toilet and agreed to wait for them - only for him to call the police.

Rather than investigating the alleged anti-social behaviour on the bus -the police officers arrested Mrs Eleazer, dressed her down in a squad car and handed her an £80 fixed penalty for a public order offence.

She said: "There was no way I assaulted anyone - I didn't even swear. I couldn't touch him because the window was there but he got quite horrible and phoned the police."

Mrs Eleazer and her husband, Darryl, got on the 2A in Portslade at about 10pm, to find the girls shouting and swearing.

She said: "It was just chaos. They were running around as high as kites. Then some of them decided they wanted to get off to go to the loo.

"The surprising thing was that the bus driver just waited. He thought it was a big joke but all the other passengers were missing their connections."

Mrs Eleazer, of Hardwick Road, Hangleton, added: "People were getting fed up and I told him this was not right. I just put my hand where you buy a ticket and he said: 'That's assault.'"

The driver called the police and officers stopped the bus in Blatchington Road, Hove, arresting Mrs Eleazer.

A police spokesman said: "Anybody who acts in a way that is likely to cause harassment or intimidation is likely to receive a punishment for a public order offence and the driver here believed he was going to be assaulted.

"Fixed penalty notices are a way we can deal with these kind of offences, trying to prevent violent behaviour occurring - nipping it in the bud before it escalates."

Although Mrs Eleazer maintains her innocence, she accepted the fixed penalty but has yet to pay it - meaning it has gone up to £120.

The incident happened just before Christmas but Mrs Eleazer revealed last night she was thinking of appealing her fine.

Roger French, managing director of the buses, said: "It's good news that the police are taking threats on our drivers seriously. I would applaud that fact and that a fixed penalty notice was given."

Mr French said the driver allowed the girls to go to the toilet because he was running early and had to stop anyway.