'Brakes failed' on double-decker bus before 'terrifying' crash into river

The Bluestar 607 bus for Barton Peveril Sixth Form College bus plummeted into the river after coming off Bishopstoke Road (B3037) in Eastleigh just after 10am on Thursday.

The bus driver was among five people who were taken to hospital for treatment with police saying the driver and another person were in “serious but not life-threatening” condition.

The bus started its journey in Knowle, then went on to Swanmore and Bishop's Waltham before the crash in Eastleigh.

Eyewitness Kelly West said she “heard some noise” before seeing the bus “careening into the river” at around 60mph. “It felt very fast and obviously he just went straight through the barriers and into the river,” she said.

After running over to help the resident said she could hear people shouting and found the driver trapped and “panicking”. She added: “I told him to stop panicking, help was on its way and he said the brakes failed and the accelerator was jammed and that he was trying to avoid cars.”

Inspector Andy Tester, of Hampshire Constabulary, said a total of 20 people were onboard the bus, 19 of which were passengers. He said: “It must have been terrifying and my thoughts are very much with what the children and the driver on the bus, who must have had a terrifying experience.”

He said several people including the driver were trapped on board when emergency services arrived. He said: “There were a large number of specialist resources helping to get people out of the bus.

“Some people had got themselves out of the bus, and it was obviously important to us to triage the injured people, to assess the people who were still stuck in the bus, and to make sure we had accounted for everyone.”

The B3037 was closed in both directions for much of the day with delays between Chickenhall Lane to Riverside.