WITNESSES today told of their shock after a serious accident was narrowly avoided when a double-decker bus collided with a telegraph pole.

Tom Potter

WITNESSES today told of their shock after a serious accident was narrowly avoided when a double-decker bus collided with a telegraph pole.

Onlookers revealed how the electrical pole appeared to fall in front of the bus as it passed a fish and chip shop in Woodbridge Road, Ipswich.

One resident described the scene as horrendous, adding: “If this had happened an hour later there would have been schoolchildren walking along the road on their way home. I'm still shaking.”

The crash happened at around 2pm yesterday outside Papa Noels Fish 'n' Chip shop.

Police closed the road while the pole was removed and the area quickly cleared of broken glass.

Paramedics and police arrived on the scene to find the pole lying across the road and in the front garden of a house after it smashed the front window of the number 63 bus, which was heading into Ipswich.

Ambulance crews treated the bus driver for shock.

Postman Irvin Flarerty was driving his van in the opposite direction when the collision happened.

He said: “I saw the window of the bus crack and pulled up thinking there may be live wires exposed. I tried my best to divert traffic.

“Only the driver was seen to by paramedics. I just hoped he was in shock and not injured.

“My first thought was that he had suffered a heart attack. When I got to him he was in a pretty bad way so I sat him down until the paramedic arrived.”

Pauline Harris heard the pole fall outside her house and ran out to see the damage it had caused.

“I heard this almighty bang and looked out to see the pole come falling past the window,” she said. “I got outside and saw it had landed on our wall.”

Neighbour Kelli Murray added: “The bus was the only vehicle involved and the driver looked dazed when I went to see how he was.”