At 6:40 on Christmas Eve in Station Street a 952 bus on the wrong route. A 952 bus’s roof got ripped off under the bridge of Station street outside ST. Marks church. It was the end of the ST. Marks Christingle service so there were angels, Shepherds, wise men and Donkeys all over the place. Just like a casualty scene A KON reporter Katie Haywood takes the pictures you will see. She saw the results of the crash

A worker clears up after the smash

Bus passengers had a lucky escape after the vehicle's driver took the wrong route and hit a low bridge ripping the roof off. The four passengers, none of whom were sitting upstairs, were said to be shocked by the incident in Cheslyn Hay, near Cannock, around 6.45pm on Christmas Eve.

One passenger, a 22-year-old woman from Kingswinford, was taken to hospital with minor injuries. The D-reg 952 bus had left Walsall and was making its way to Hednesford bus station when the accident happened.

The bus tried to get under the bridge on Station Street but was too tall. The roof was partly ripped off and partly caved in.

It came to a stop around 50 metres after the bridge with the remains of the roof on the ground at the collision point.

Phil Bateman, Corporate Affairs Director for Travel West Midlands, said the bus should not have been down Station Street, and the driver, a 42-year-old man from Walsall, had taken a wrong route.

He was interviewed by police officers at the scene and took an alcohol breath test which was found to be negative.

It is thought the incident is the third of its kind involving vehicles which were more than 12ft 9ins hitting the bridge, which is used by trains, in the last three months.

The road, near its junction of Meadowbank Grange was closed off to traffic for around an hour, while the mess was cleared away.

Engineers also checked the bridge, and pedestrians were not allowed through until it was declared safe.

Trains travelling on it also had to slow down to five mph over the stretch.

No damage was done to the bridge but damage to the bus has been described as 'extensive'.

Mr Bateman said: "We are co-operating with Staffordshire Police.

"Clearly the bus should not have been going under the low bridge."

He added: "Obviously we are going to hold our own internal investigation. It could have been much worse."

Police are appealing for witnesses to contact the operations division on 01785 232661.

Reported by KON Reporter Miss Katie Haywood 6H

Reported by KON Reporter Miss Katie Haywood 6H