A DOUBLE decker bus was covered in smoke this morning as it caught fire on the A12 near the Blackwall Tunnel. It took eight fire fighters from two fire engines about an hour to tackle the blaze after a leaking diesel engine caught fire near the junction o

A DOUBLE decker bus was covered in smoke this morning as it caught fire on the A12 near the Blackwall Tunnel.

It took eight fire fighters from two fire engines about an hour to tackle the blaze after a leaking diesel engine caught fire near the junction of Wick Lane and Old Ford Road in Bow. Crew Manager Clive Mitchell from Bow Fire Station said they had to use foam to put out the fire, which he said damaged the back of the lower deck including seats. One of the tyres also melted.

It is believed the bus was heading southbound towards a bus depot in Stratford and that no one was on board when the fire brigade arrived.