A TEENAGE thug who spat at a bus driver has become the first person in the county to be found guilty of common assault - thanks to pioneering DNA testing.

The 17-year-old, from Brierfield, was one of a gang of youths asked to leave an X43 bus after they were being rowdy, in September.

As the group exited the Burnley and Pendle Travel bus, in Manchester Road, Burnley, the teenager spat in the driver's face.

The driver, Sean Sutton, used a saliva swab kit which had been issued only two days earlier by Lancashire County Council to all Burnley and Pendle drivers, in a bid to reduce the number of such attacks.

Mr Sutton was the first in the county to use the kit - containing gloves, an evidence bag, and a sterile swab - to pass information to forensic experts.

DNA information from the sample led Burnley police to arrest and charge the teenager, whose details from previous criminal convictions had been recorded on a national database.

The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in court last month when he was sentenced by magistrates to a six-month referral order, and ordered to pay £100 in compensation.

It is believed to be the first successful prosecution by Lancashire Police using evidence gained in this way.

Mr Sutton, a driver for 15 years, said: "I'm really pleased it's worked. "Anything that helps driver safety can only be a good thing, and I'd definitely encourage other drivers to use them.

"There has been a big rise in how often we get assaulted, physically and verbally, and deterrents are needed."