Reading Buses have announced the latest stars of the company - employees who have gone above and beyond their duty or given consistently excellent performances.

The first star, Andy Cooper, who has been working for Reading Buses for 23 years, has received the recognition for his willing attitude.

He had just finished his duty in the engineering department in the early hours of a Sunday and was looking forward to getting home when he was asked by the control room if he could help them with a stranded bus.

Andy, 57, didn't hesitate - he changed back into his overalls, grabbed some tools and headed off to the bus, helping the company to avoid a hefty recovery charge.

John Bickerton, head of engineering, said: "Andy did a great job and it is well done to him. He's a deserving Star of the Month winner."

Paul Comley, Newbury supervisor, was also announced as a Reading Buses winning star.

If it wasn't for Paul, 52, many things in Newbury just wouldn't happen.

He was nominated by David Rouse, operations manager, for keeping the Newbury depot running whilst also organising special events, including the Royal County of Berkshire Show.

“All of this he seems to do effortlessly,” said David. “He doesn’t require help or assistance, he quietly gets on with it.”

It was noted that Paul has been a stalwart at Newbury for many years in his 29 years of service, and that his overall high-quality performance was another reason to recognise him.

The final star is Control Room Manager Javed Kayani, 38, who was nominated by a driver colleague.

A colleague had a family emergency and Javed covered his shift which allowed him to take the day off work. He showed real concern for the situation for which the colleague was ‘very grateful.’

“Javed works really well with the drivers,” said David, “he has been with us for 14 years and used to drive himself and so remembers what their needs are.

"He is always helpful and will do anything for anybody – especially for the drivers.”