THUGS have made off with cash after attacking a bus driver.

The Stagecoach driver was robbed by three people in Wallsend, North Tyneside, on Wednesday, at about 9pm.

The 12A service, which runs between Chapel Park and Wallsend, stopped in Neptune Road to let off three passengers.

A teenage girl and boy and a man were waiting at the stop.

The girl asked the bus driver to change a £5 note. When he brought out his cash bag, the boy grabbed it, pulling the driver forward and hitting his head off the security screen.

The driver resisted and the man hit him on the hand with a hard object, forcing him to release the bag. The trio then ran off.

The girl was white, 15 or 16, 5ft 4in, of medium build, with shoulder-length, fair hair. She was wearing a blue, padded jacket.

Her teenage accomplice was white, 16 or 17, 5ft 8in, and slim. He was wearing a blue jacket and a checked Burberry-style baseball cap.

Detectives are appealing for passengers on the bus or witnesses to call Wallsend CID on 0191-214 6555 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.