Bus passengers in Edinburgh face disruption after drivers rejected a pay offer.

The drivers turned down a pay award from Lothian Buses worth 13% over two years.

Strike action by more than 1,300 drivers, which had been agreed before the pay ballot, could begin on Friday of next week.

A spokesman for the company, which is the biggest bus operator in the capital, said there was disappointment that drivers had rejected the deal.

Drivers could strike next week

No-one from the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) was available for comment.

Further talks aimed at heading off industrial action will be held on Monday.

The drivers had decided on strike action after their demand for a 12% unconditional increase was described by the bus firm as unrealistic.

In a ballot of 1,331 drivers in the Edinburgh area earlier this month, 78% backed industrial action.

The industrial action threat was postponed last week when the TGWU said drivers would be given a revised pay offer.

The union said the average driver earns just over �14,000 with fixed bonuses, not including overtime, for a 39-hour week.

In Lothian, they argue, the average earnings for last year were about �18,250, including an average of six hours overtime on top of the 39-hour week.