Bus drives off with man's arm stuck in door

Police are investigating after a coach began to leave a bus station with a man attached to the door

Police are investigating after reports that a rail replacement bus drove off with a man stuck in the door.

Officers were called to Bath Bus Station after a man's arm had become trapped in the door of the vehicle as it began to leave at about 17:45 GMT on 27 October.

David Redgewell, a public transport campaigner who uses a wheelchair and witnessed the incident, said bus passengers were "shocked".

Avon and Somerset Police said no medical attention was required at the scene and enquiries were at an early stage.

'Clearly unacceptable'

Mr Redgewell said the incident occurred after the driver had refused to let him board the bus, despite it having facilities for a wheelchair.

He explained that passengers had been insisting to the driver that they should not leave a disabled person behind when he began to drive away with a man's arm stuck in the door.

“The whole incident was shocking," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“I have travelled thousands of miles on rail replacement buses across Great Britain and Ireland and I’ve never seen this before.”

A spokesperson for Great Western Railway said: “The safety and welfare of our customers and colleagues are our highest priority, and the treatment described is clearly unacceptable.

“We’ve asked the coach company to investigate the allegations as quickly as possible so they can take the appropriate action.”

The Pewsey Vale bus was acting as a rail replacement service from Bath to Westbury.

The coach company said it could not comment while the incident was under investigation.

A spokesperson from Avon and Somerset Police said anyone who saw what happened and had not yet given a statement was asked to call 101.