Tram driver battered while taking a break
POLICE have launched an investigation after a tram driver ended up in hospital following an assault at a Metrolink stop.
The driver was taking his break at the Rochdale town centre station, recognised as a hotspot for crime on the network, when a man launched an attack on him.
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed that they were called just before 7pm on Sunday (November 21) to the incident on Smith Street.
A spokesman added: “A TFGM staff member reported he had been assaulted by an unknown man while taking a break.”
Officers are investigating, and enquiries are ongoing.
A spokesman from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), confirmed one of their drivers had been assaulted in Rochdale.
He added: “The driver returned to the depot and later attended hospital for a brief period. The incident has been reported and is currently being investigated by both Metrolink and Greater Manchester Police.”
The incident is the latest in a series of crimes to take place on the Metrolink. There was a 23 per cent increase in anti-social behaviour and crime reported in September compared to the same month in 2019, with 233 incidents in total. ‘Tram surfing’ – in which people hold onto the back of a moving tram or stand between two carriages on a double tram – has also risen tenfold in that time.
There has been a ‘significant increase’ in reported assaults, up from nine in August to 28 in September – of which seven were directed towards staff.
In August, a 17-year-old boy was stabbed at the East Didsbury Metrolink stop.
There have been previous reports of an increase in youthrelated anti-social behaviour in Rochdale.