A SENIOR Avon and Somerset Police officer has defended officers after a woman took to social media accusing the force of "apartheid in action".

Angie Bual claimed a bus service in North Somerset had "stopped picking up black and brown men at a certain bus stop".

She Tweeted: "The drivers accept white passengers. This is apartheid in action."

She claimed drivers hadn’t said anything "overtly offensive or been violent", adding: "They have said ‘I don’t take refugees’.

"White people have reported them driving off without brown passengers"

She said police had responded by saying that as the bus company is private "it’s up to them who they take and don’t take".

Inspector Dickon Turner has issued a lengthy statement saying offices attended an incident in which a number of asylum seekers were trying to pay their fare in cash, which drivers are unable to accept.

He added: "Officers attended to prevent a breach of the peace and no offences were reported at the time of identified.

"A third-party report about the incident was received later that day from a member of the public who raised concerns the incident was racially-motivated, stating the people involved were asylum seekers staying at a nearby hotel.

"A PC and Temporary Inspector called her and explained we had attended, no offences had been identified or reported and permitted entry onto a bus was a civil matter rather than a criminal one."

Superintendent Turner added that the incident has been recorded as a "hate incident" due to the woman's complaint, although it has not been deemed a "hate crime".

THE FULL STATEMENT FROM SUPERINTENDENT DICKON TURNER.

"Officers attended to prevent a breach of the peace and no offences were reported at the time of identified.

"A third-party report about the incident was received later that day from a member of the public who raised concerns the incident was racially-motivated, stating the people involved were asylum seekers staying at a nearby hotel.

"A PC and Temporary Inspector called her and explained we had attended, no offences had been identified or reported and permitted entry onto a bus was a civil matter rather than a criminal one.

"The Temporary Inspector raised the matter with partner agencies through a working group, including the local authority, to establish if there were any complaints we were unaware of from those passengers and so partners could take steps to ensure they could access public transport in future.

"In accordance with reporting protocols, this has been logged as a hate incident.

"Unlike a hate crime, a hate incident is one where at least one person believes there was a hate element, but where no criminal offences have been found to have occurred.

"We recognise this was not done at the time as it should have been but has today been completed.

"This will mean any office called to a similar situation in future will be able to access a record of the concerns raised with respect of this matter.

"We would urge anyone who is a victim of a suspected hate crime, or witnesses one, to please contact the police."