Bus passengers have been praised by police for stopping a thug armed with a claw-hammer getting on board during a street attack in Poplar on a schoolboy.

Detectives have now released images in an appeal to track down the thug after studying video footage after the attack in October.

The 16-year-old boy was at a bus stop in East India Dock Road with a group of teenagers when a youth approached with the hammer and hit him several times on the head during the vicious assault at 4pm on October 4.

The video shows the suspect lunging forward in the attack.

The boy was able to get on a bus that had pulled up, when the passengers on board managed to keep the youth off, who was then seen fleeing westwards towards the Limehouse junction at Burdett Road.

“This was a horrific attack on a schoolboy,” Pc Jon Privett said. “The boy nearly lost consciousness from blood loss as a result.

But the quick action of the passengers and bus-driver prevented him from further attack.”

The boy was taken to the Royal London Hospital where he received five stitches for the laceration in his head.

The attacker is described as a black youth, short black hair, who was wearing dark trousers and top, black shoes and a black rucksack with grey edging.

Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to dial 101 with the reference CAD 5427/04Oct17, or tweet @MetCC or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.