West Belfast: Translink worker and bus passenger attacked

The incident took place on board a Glider bus

A Translink worker suffered a significant ear injury after he and a passenger were assaulted on a bus in west Belfast, police have said.

The attack took place on a Glider on the Andersonstown Road shortly after 09:00 BST on Tuesday,

An ambulance attended the scene and, following treatment at the scene, one patient was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

Three men aged 31, 33 and 42 have been arrested.

A window of the bus was also damaged during the incident.

Insp Róisín Brown said: "This was a despicable, unprovoked act of violence on a Translink employee who was out serving the public on a busy Glider route.

"We utterly condemn it and will be working closely with our partners in Translink as we progress this investigation."

The injured staff member was a ticket inspector.

In a statement Translink said: "We utterly condemn this serious incident.

"The safety of our staff and passengers is our top priority. All our staff have the right to work without fear of abuse or violence and we will be ensuring our colleague will be offered all appropriate support.

"We are assisting the PSNI investigation, including provision of CCTV from the Glider vehicle, the halt and body cam footage".

Police are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward.