SIX hundred bus staff were facing an uncertain future today after bosses at Stagecoach Ribble announced they were negotiating its sale.

The company has confirmed that it is considering an offer to buy its depots in Blackburn, Burnley, Clitheroe and Bolton where staff staged 15 one-day strikes since May last year -- but bosses have denied the sell-off is related to the dispute.

Stagecoach Ribble operations director Chris Bowles said a bid had been made, but declined to to name the potential purchaser.

The Lancashire Evening Telegraph, however, believes that Harrogate-based Blazefield Holdings is close to finalising a deal with Stagecoach Ribble.

Blazefield Holdings owns six bus companies, including Keighley and District Transport and two others in Yorkshire and three in the south of England, and is one of the country's leading privately-owned bus firms.

Unions were informed of the sell-off talks on Monday and drivers will be meeting TGWU officials on Wednesday to learn more about the implications of the deal.

Mr Bowles said the sale should not have any job implications for the 600 staff who work from the four East Lancashire bus depots and that it was likely they would transfer to the new company.

Burnley TGWU branch secretary Peter Brindle said they would be briefing union members tomorrow. "They need to know where they stand," he said. "We would hope that jobs were secure and that the new company would honour all the agreements they have.

"We understand that Keighley and District Transport has a good relationship with the TGWU and I would hope that we can speak to the new management as soon as possible."

Stagecoach Ribble went through a pay dispute with its drivers last year and repeated strike action brought chaos to services in East Lancashire.

Stagecoach's Chris Bowles denied there was any link between the bus strikes and the sale of its East Lancashire operations.

Peter Brindle also discounted a connection. "I believe Stagecoach made the decision to sell long before we went on strike," he added.

Graham Mitchell, communications manager for Blazefield, today confirmed that "meaningful negotiations are taking place between the two groups".