Police hunt doubledecker bus joyrider

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/28/police-hunt-doubledecker-bus-joyrider-london

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Police have released a CCTV image of a man who stole a doubledecker bus and then went on a seven-mile joyride through the streets of south-east London.

The bus was taken from a Metrobus depot in Orpington last month and found abandoned in a suburban street in Croydon.

The doubledecker had been left with a gouge on its side after the joyrider had scraped the vehicle against a wall. It will cost £500 to repair.

The Metropolitan police have traced the 7.7-mile joyride which would have taken around 20 minutes to complete.

This incident occurred in September, but it is only now that the Metropolitan police have circulated the CCTV image of the suspect.

In a statement it said:

On Saturday 15 September at around 09:15hrs, a man entered the Farnborough Hill bus depot in Orpington and drove off in a double decker bus.

The man then drove the bus through Farnborough Village, along Farnborough Common, and turned into Croydon Road. He continued into Glebe Way, Wickham Court Road, Wickham Road, Bridle Road, Broom Road and into Shrublands Avenue in Shirley. The man then parked at a bus stop and walked off.

Around £500 of damage was caused to the bus during the journey, after it scraped along a wall.

Anyone with any information should contact PC Paul Bridgland at Bromley’s Safer Transport Team on 200 8284 8714 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.