Bus ends up in the wrong lane

STUCK fast . . . the bus which took a wrong turn at Carrcote

Early risers in a Saddleworth hamlet got a shock yesterday when a double-deck bus lumbered up a narrow country lane.

The 12-tonne, 74-seater bus had taken a wrong turn at Carrcote on the outskirts of Delph and finished up listing in deep snow on a track leading to a farm.

The incident happened at 6.30am, and it took a rescue crew from bus company First more than four hours to retrieve the stranded vehicle.

Villager Wilf Hulme (72) said: “I had to rub my eyes when I looked up the lane and saw this giant bus slewed off the track. The driver had obviously missed Lodge Lane and headed straight up to Delph Greaves Farm. He wouldn’t know it is a dead end.”

Matt Davies, operations director of First’s bus operations in the Oldham area, said: “Unfortunately, one of our buses, which was not in service, took a wrong turn.

“When the driver realised the mistake, he decided it was better to stop and seek help rather than risk damaging the vehicle.”