Man kicked off bus after reported racial assault

A man was removed from a Brighton and Hove bus, similar to the one pictured here, at the Prince's Crescent bus stop on Ditchling Road

Police have appealed for information after a man was physically removed from a bus after reportedly racially abusing a woman on board.

Officers were called to reports of a racially aggravated verbal assault on a number 26 Brighton and Hove bus at Ditchling Road in Brighton at about 16:35 BST on 3 October.

Following the assault, an "altercation then broke out between the man and another man" before two further men "physically removed the man from the bus" at the Prince's Crescent bus stop, opposite the Roundhill pub, said Sussex Police.

The force said red paint was also sprayed inside and outside of the bus during the incident.

The man, described as being around 5ft 7in, aged in his late 50s and wearing a beige baseball cap and blue coat, and carrying a rucksack, then left the scene, it added.

Officers said they were "pursuing a number of lines of enquiry" and urged anyone who witnessed what happened or with relevant footage to get to touch.