A score of people were injured when the roof was ripped off a double-decker bus after it collided with a bridge - just one of a spate of such instances in the past year.
This week a Bee Network bus collided with a bridge in Eccles, Manchester, with one passenger being thrown from the top deck when the roof was torn off.
The collision injured 20 people, with three passengers needing further treatment in hospital, but Greater Manchester Police (GMP) state that all three are now in a stable condition.
The driver of the bus has been arrested under suspicion of causing serious injury by careless driving, although he has been bailed ‘pending further inquiries’ according to GMP.
Vernon Everitt, transport commissioner for Greater Manchester, said: 'Our absolute focus has been on supporting emergency services in their response, with some people treated at the scene and some taken to hospital.
'An immediate and urgent investigation into the circumstances is underway and we are working closely with the investigation team at Greater Manchester Police and the bus operator, Stagecoach.'
This latest collision follows two more that took place in London in the past two months.
In June, a double-decker training bus collided with Norwood Junction railway bridge, causing the train line to close temporarily while the bridge was assessed. Fortunately, there were no passengers on board at the time.
A further incident took place in July near Russel Square in the city centre when a tourist bus hit a tree, once again ripping the roof off the vehicle and injuring two people. However, a spokesperson for the London Ambulance Service said that they were able to ‘discharge [both passengers] at the scene’.
In December last year, Glasgow also saw the roof removed from a bus when a driver made a wrong turn and the vehicle hit a railway bridge on Cook Street. Eight people were injured, with five later taken to hospital in ambulances for further treatment.
