TWO teenage girls have been charged with setting on fire a bus which was the tribute replacement for the double-decker destroyed in the 7/7 terrorist attacks.

The top deck of the vehicle was almost completely destroyed in the blaze, which happened at around 12.30am on Friday (October 19) in Selborne Road outside Walthamstow Central station.

The bus, specially named 'The Spirit of London', was unveiled in October 2005 to honour the 13 people who died in the Tavistock Square blast earlier that year.

It has been operating on a number of London routes since then, but was in service as a number 69 on Friday.

The girls, both aged 14, are charged with arson and will appear at Stratford Magistrates Court on Wednesday October 31.

They are both from the Walthamstow area but cannot be named because they are under 18.

It has emerged that CCTV footage captured images of two figures on the bus setting fire to pieces of newspaper before stuffing them down seats at the back of the upper floor.

By the time the driver was aware of the fire all passengers had left.

The blaze quickly spread to the rest of the top deck but no-one was injured.

A spokesman for bus operator Stagecoach described the suspected arson as "an insult to the memory of those who lost their lives in those terrible events of seven years ago".

There is confusion about whether the bus can be repaired.

Stagecoach said it was hopeful it could, but a Met spokesman said the damage was too extensive for it to be repaired.

A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said they were called at 12.37am.

Five fire-fighters brought the blaze under control by around 1.05am.

The number 69, which is a 24-hour service, runs between Walthamstow Central and Canning Town Bus Station via Plaistow, Stratford, Leytonstone and Leyton.

A total of 52 people were killed and 770 injured in four bomb attacks on the public transport network in July 2005.

The British-designed £160,000 replacement double-decker was unveiled by the then London Mayor Ken Livingstone and was emblazoned with the words 'Spirit of London' on its front.