Teen came within inches of being shot

A pellet shatters one of the windows on a 371 bus near the former Spotted Cow pub, New Hey Road, Salendine Nook when the attack happened.

He said: “A hole about the size of an air rifle pellet appeared right next to me. I had only been on the bus a minute or two. We were heading towards the town centre when it happened about 4.40pm.

“We were near the former Spotted Cow pub in Salendine Nook when I heard a loud bang.

“Fortunately I just leaned forward to check a message on my phone otherwise it could have been worse. I heard other people gasp.

“If I had not leaned forward it would have hit my head.”

Because the bus was so packed with passengers he decided not to tell the bus driver until his journey ended in Huddersfield town centre.

Thomas added: “I just thought: ‘Wow! I can’t believe it. The bus driver asked everyone to get off and took my name and my friend’s.”

His dad Chris said: “He was obviously quite shocked when he got home but he is normally quite laid back.”

A First West Yorkshire spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that an incident occurred on board one of our vehicles on Thursday evening, which resulted in damage to the vehicle.

“We will be investigating this further and reviewing CCTV footage. It has been reported to police.”