Fines up to £100 for playing music out loud on buses announced in new antisocial behaviour crackdown

Fines up to £100 can now be issued to people who play music or videos out loud on buses - part of a series of new powers tackling antisocial behaviour.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has encouraged local authorities to use powers announced in August to crack down on loud music, littering, vaping and threatening behaviour on buses.

Under new guidance issued on Monday, authorities have been told they can set and define byelaws against antisocial behaviour, and issue fixed penalty notices of up to £100 to enforce them.

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Any rules will need to be signed off by the transport secretary before coming into effect, and will be enforced by specialist safety officers rather than bus drivers.

Heidi Alexander said: "It is so frustrating when the actions of an inconsiderate few spoil journeys for the rest of us, whether that is vaping, littering or blasting music out loud.

"Even small changes in behaviour can make a massive difference to people's experience on public transport."

It comes after both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have called for action against passengers playing loud music on public transport over the past year.

And in August last year, Transport for London launched a campaign encouraging people to use headphones when using their network.

Responding to the announcement, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said that while the measures were "well meaning", they were "wholly inadequate" to deal with the "avalanche of escalating abuse" faced by transport workers.

"The proposed penalties are not going to deal with the issues facing workers," she added. "Our members are demanding and deserve protections at work that these proposals do not address."

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Mr Burnham also announced a new national campaign encouraging train passengers to "share the carriage, not the noise".

"We've all been on the train when someone starts blasting music or videos from their phone," the prime minister said in a statement.

"It gets on your nerves and can quickly spoil the journey. So, we're launching a nationwide campaign reminding passengers to use headphones on trains.

"It's a simple thing, but one that will make journeys that little bit better for all of us."

Rules around train travel already make playing music out loud an offence. But like other issues, such as fare evasion, this is subject to being enforced by the British Transport Police or the train operators themselves.

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