Botcheston: Road damaged as bus destroyed by fire

A fire which destroyed a bus has forced a Leicestershire road to be closed for several days.

The Arriva service was on Botcheston Road near Botcheston at about 12:30 BST on Monday when the emergency began.

The fire service said a mechanical fault led to 90% of the vehicle being destroyed but there were no reports of any injuries.

The county council said "considerable damage" was caused to the road but repairs were under way.

The fire service said it was called to the scene at 12:32 and two fire appliances were sent. They handed the scene over to police at 15:37.

Leicestershire Police said they had closed the road between Botcheston village and Desford Road in Newtown Unthank until repairs were completed.

A statement from the county council said: "A highways inspector has assessed the site and there has been some considerable damage to the road and footpath caused by the fire.

"This is being repaired on Wednesday and Thursday after which the road will be reopened."

Unconfirmed reports say about 20 people were on board at the time.

An Arriva spokesman said: "I can confirm it was one of our buses and the driver evacuated, in line with their safety training.

"This remains under investigation."

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