BUS staff in Cumbria are celebrating a double success in a round of national awards.

Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire picked up two awards in the UK Bus Awards on Tuesday.

Its Explore the Lakes by Bus service picked up the bronze in the Buses for Pleasure category while Barrow was given the gold award as the UK’s Top National Bus Depot.

The awards were presented at Troxy, in London, by BBC news presenter Jane Hill.

Willie McPhail, operations manager at the Barrow depot, said the awards were just desserts for the depot’s 85 staff.

The award nomination was based on its performance over the year against a number of criteria, including customer care and service delivery.

Willie said: “The last few years have definitely had their challenges but the whole team here have worked really hard to keep the buses running on time and provide a reliable service for the local community.

“This award is for everyone who works in every part of the depot and much deserved recognition for all their hard work.”

Rob Jones, Managing Director for Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire, said: “It makes me so happy to see our teams recognised in this way at the UK Bus Awards.

“I have seen first hand how much pride they take in providing such an essential service to their communities and I am sure these awards will only inspire them to keep doing so for many years to come.”