A MAN who slapped a female driver during a disturbance on her bus was jailed for three months by Blackburn magistrates.

John Archibald, 41, of Rothesay Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour.

Emma Kehoe, prosecuting, said Archibald was being abusive to a young woman who was on the bus with her two children.

The driver intervened and tried to persuade Archibald to sit down and at the same time rang her inspector, who contacted the police.

Before they arrived Archibald slapped the driver across the face.

Andrew Church-Taylor, defending, said Archibald could remember nothing about the incident due to drink.

He said his client was an alcoholic and asked the magistrates to deal with him as such rather than someone who had deliberately gone out to get drunk.