Almost 750 Stagecoach staff are involved in the dispute

Talks took place at the conciliation service ACAS on Monday to try to resolve the long-running pay row.

Unions representing 750 bus drivers and conductors from Newcastle and South Tyneside say they have been offered an improvement on a 4% pay offer.

Brian Anderson, from the Transport and General Workers Union (T&G) said the offer will be recommended to staff.

He said: "After the talks today [Monday] we have left the company and we are going to ballot our members, hopefully Thursday and Friday of this week.

"This offer does come with a recommendation to our members to accept this offer."

A spokesman for Stagecoach had warned that the one-days strikes would affect 150,000 passenger journeys every day.