Several people were injured Saturday when a double-decker bus struck a building in New Mills, Derbyshire, forcing police to seal off part of the town centre over fears of a gas leak, the force said.
Derbyshire Police said the crash happened at about 5:20 p.m. GMT near the junction of Union Road, Market Street and St Mary's Road. Officers placed a cordon around the scene while ambulance and fire crews treated passengers and checked the damaged structure.
Injuries and emergency response
The force said a number of people were hurt but that injuries were not thought to be life-threatening. It did not provide a precise casualty count or describe how the bus left the carriageway. East Midlands Ambulance Service and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service both attended alongside police.
Because of the possible gas leak, pedestrians and drivers were told to avoid Union Road, Market Street and St Mary's Road until further notice. Police warned that closures could remain in place for some time while engineers assessed utilities and the building’s stability.
Impact on a market-town centre
New Mills sits on the edge of the Peak District, and the affected junction forms part of its compact high street. A double-decker collision into a shopfront or office block is uncommon in the area, and images published by the BBC showed a bus wedged against masonry with emergency tape across nearby roads.
Local bus operators had not issued a detailed statement on the vehicle’s route or occupancy by late Saturday. National Highways was not involved; the incident was confined to town-centre streets rather than a motorway.
Shopkeepers within the cordon said they were told to stay inside while engineers checked whether the impact had ruptured a gas main serving the row of Victorian-era buildings along Market Street. A resident who asked not to be named told the BBC the sound of the collision carried up the valley toward the railway station, drawing onlookers before police pushed the crowd back.
What investigators will examine
Derbyshire Police said inquiries were continuing and asked witnesses to come forward. Typical early questions in such crashes include braking, steering failure, medical events involving the driver, and whether other vehicles were involved. The gas-leak precaution suggests damage may have reached service pipes or meters in the building facade.
Officials did not say when roads would reopen. Until the cordon lifts, residents face diverted traffic on a Halloween weekend when footfall in Derbyshire towns is often higher than on a normal Saturday evening.
Stagecoach and other regional carriers serving the High Peak corridor typically run evening services through New Mills on Saturdays; any suspension will ripple to commuters connecting at Stockport or Buxton. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch does not investigate road collisions, leaving Derbyshire Police and the bus operator’s safety team as the primary reviewers unless the Health and Safety Executive joins later.