Driver attacked as teenagers 'tampered' with bus

A bus driver was assaulted by a teenager as he tried to stop a gang from tampering with his vehicle in Edinburgh.

The number 26 bus was travelling along Drum Brae Drive towards Corstorphine Hill at about 10pm on Friday.

As it came to a halt at a bus stop, police say the group of youths – three males and a female aged between 15 and 18 – tried “tampering” with the vehicle from the outside when the driver got off.

He was attacked by one of the group, who is described as 6ft tall, of slim build and wearing a black jacket.

Inspector Johnny Elliott said: “This was an unprovoked assault on a man who was simply trying to do his job and it is vital we trace the individuals involved.

“I am appealing for anyone who was in the area on Friday evening and either witnessed the incident, or noticed a group of youths matching the above description behaving suspiciously, to get in touch.

“I would also ask any motorists with dashcams who were on the roads at the time to please check their footage in case they have captured anything which could be of significance.

“Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting incident number 3774 of March 5. Alternatively, you can contact the Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Lothian Buses initially removed services, including the number 26, after “a serious incident of anti-social behaviour”.

But on Monday the operator confirmed services would return to Clermiston as scheduled with an increased police presence.

Operations director Sarah Boyd said: “Our drivers have played a critical part in keeping services operating for keyworkers and those that require to make essential journeys across the last 12 months and it is extremely disappointing that we are being targeted at various locations across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

“Following a serious incident on Friday evening and a significant increase in instances of antisocial behaviour, we made the difficult decision to remove services from the Clermiston area on Saturday and Sunday evenings.

“While we offer our sincere apologies to any of our customers who were inconvenienced, the safety of our drivers and customers remains our absolute priority and we will not hesitate to take similar action again if necessary.

“Working closely with Police Scotland we will continue to monitor the situation as our services return to Clermiston this evening.”