First Bradford bus services will grind to a halt again on Friday as the dispute between the company and its drivers remains deadlocked.

Talks between the company and the Transport and General Workers' Union ended without agreement yesterday after a last ditch bid to avert the latest strike.

It will be followed by stoppages on the following two Fridays unless a settlement is reached in the meantime.

The First Bradford crews will stop work at midnight on Thursday and resume work 24 hours later. They will hold a general meeting during the day to discuss the situation. A Bradford Council education spokesman said: "If there is a bus strike, school buses will obviously be affected. We expect schools to stay open where possible and head teachers to make whatever contingency plans they can."

The crews agreed to this Friday's stoppage by just three votes but union officials say they do not expect drivers to cross the picket lines.

Buses operated by Keighley and District and other companies will run normally.

The row is over First Bradford's pay structure, which gives better salaries to long-serving drivers. The crews say it dates back to the privatisation of public transport in the 1980s.

Officials from the TGWU recommended the drivers accept the latest offer when they voted last week.

A First Bradford spokesman said: "The strike will take place on Friday. We are disappointed and will be looking to resolve this at the earliest opportunity."

Ronnie Morrison, regional official of the TGWU, claimed the management had made it clear there was nothing more to put on the table, but a democratic decision had been taken to stop work.

A driver who did not want to be named said the crews believed there could be a better offer from the management and the existing one did not meet their needs.