Shock as bus driver shot in the eye

A BUS driver was recovering yesterday after being shot in the eye with a pellet gun.

Police described the shooting as appalling and said it was lucky that the driver managed to stop without mounting the kerb as he approached a bus stop at Cornlands Road in Acomb, York.

The driver was hit in the eye at 6.45pm on Wednesday with what police believe was a ball-bearing gun fired from a nearby garden.

Police said the pellet went through an open offside cab window, causing the driver to glance the kerb before bringing the vehicle to a halt.

He was later treated for a bruised right eye in York Hospital.

The shooting comes after a spate of attacks on buses in the nearby Chapelfields area.

Bus company First York said yesterday that it was going to review the number 4 service on Cornlands Road.

A spokesman for York police said: "We are absolutely appalled by this incident. It could have been far more serious, particularly if the driver had mounted the kerb and hit a pedestrian."

Peter Edwards, of First York, said: "The fact that there are people out there who are prepared to do this sort of stupid thing without realising what the potential consequences are is very worrying."

Bus services on the Chapelfields estate were re-routed for several weeks after a string of vehicles were attacked in May. Windows on two buses were smashed when they were struck by a large rock and a metal wrench.

Two 14-year-old local youths have been arrested on suspicion of assault and released on police bail pending further inquiries.