News Shopper reporter Corinne McPartland has lifted the lid on gang culture on school buses in Dartford, reporting on a "nightmare" journey.

The journalist ventured on to the '492' service after writing an article about a 12-year-old girl who was left scared to get on a bus after daily bullying by a gang from another school.

The girl spoke out about the vicious attacks she and other schoolchildren had to endure each day, including the case of a schoolboy who was left with injuries to his face which led the bus to stop and the emergency services being called.

Corinne decided to brave the journey home and find out for herself how bad the bus trip really was.

She told HoldtheFrontPage: "I was shocked when I saw the sorts of things the girls were doing on the bus and how territorial they were."

Corinne said she began to feel uncomfortable as soon as she was joined at the bus stop by gang of eight teenage girls and two boys, and during her 15-minute wait she witnessed them jumping into a resident's garden, heavy petting, shouting and smoking.

She said: "Being a reporter, you need to develop a thick skin as you encounter aggression and rudeness on an almost daily basis.

"So I thought I was more than equipped to travel a few miles on the bus which carries schoolchildren home each afternoon.

"I was immediately 'eyed-up' by the teenagers and straightaway I experienced a sense of discomfort, something I never thought for a second I would."

When the bus arrived, the teens pushed past Corinne before she took a place on the top deck a few rows in front of the gang.

She said: "It wasn't long into the journey before the teens were illegally smoking and shouting out what sexual acts they had performed while drunk at the weekend.

"When one girl started shouting about video footage she had on her phone of someone being beaten up, I turned around, only to be met with hostile glares.

"I decided this was not a fight I wanted.

"The teenagers continued their shouting, clearly wanting to get a reaction from other passengers.

"But it didn't come as people were too scared to say anything or even look in their direction.

"Minutes later they all got off and you could feel the collective sense of relief from the other passengers.

"I am a young, confident reporter but I have to admit to being slightly frightened by the gang's exploits.

"It just makes you think what it would be like for younger schoolchildren or a frail old person."