A gang of youths on bikes has been blamed for injuring an 88-year-old woman.

A number of pupils at Aylesford School have been given a dressing down by teachers after being identified in footage posted online over the weekend.

They were seen speeding past a pensioner as she was about to step on a bus near Sainsbury's on Saturday morning, causing her to trip.

She cut her leg and the Arriva bus had to be taken out of service to be cleaned.

A spokesman for Aylesford School said: "You may be aware of recent social media coverage regarding young people taking part in an organised ride-out at the weekend.

"This gained a lot of local coverage and more so given that this resulted in the injury of an elderly member of the community.

"Following communication from members of the local community over the weekend, Aylesford school took immediate action and we have been able to identify those students from Aylesford who were involved in this and we will be liaising with parents and local police regarding their participation.

"Despite public perception there were only five students from Aylesford school who took part in this at the weekend – however we will once again be speaking with all students regarding being safe in the community."

An Arriva spokesman added: "We can confirm that an incident on Saturday morning between some cyclists and an elderly lady, who was waiting to board our 71 service, resulted in one of our drivers having to call an ambulance as a precautionary measure, on arrival at the bus stop where the lady was waiting.

"Although emergency services did not deem the incident necessary to attend, a small amount of blood left on the bus step meant that the vehicle was swiftly taken out of service for cleaning.

"The bus was cleaned at the Maidstone depot and later returned to service."

The 'ride-out' was similar to one last summer, when videos of youngsters cycling directly towards oncoming traffic prompted an angry response from police and MP Tracey Crouch.

Police issued a lengthy statement at the time, asking for help in discouraging children from taking part again.

Inspector Kerry Rothwell of the Tonbridge and Malling Community Safety Unit said: "We want young people to enjoy riding their bikes while getting some exercise, but they must do this in a safe and responsible way and be considerate to other road users and pedestrians.

"My officers were called about a group of cyclists riding antisocially in the Aylesford, Ditton and Allington areas between 1pm and 2.30pm on Saturday, January 22.

"We spoke to a number of the riders and advised them about their conduct.

"I would like to remind anyone seeking to cycle in this manner that we have recently seized bikes where pedestrians have been put at risk, and in some cases they may be committing a criminal offence.

"I would urge young people in this part of Kent to use the purpose-built bike and skate area in Millennium Park, Maidstone.

"It is designed to be a safe space for cyclists and skateboarders to use without endangering the town’s residents or visitors.

"Throughout the year we will be continuing our work with partner agencies, to educate young people on responsible cycling through inputs at youth groups and at the Road Safety Experience."

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