AN INVESTIGATION is underway after a bus was severely damaged by fire in a Forest village on Tuesday morning.

This dramatic picture of the single decker Stagecoach bus ablaze near the Forge Hammer Inn was captured by Review reader Peter Jackson.

The driver was alone on the bus when he noticed the fire at the rear of the vehicle as it travelled along Stowfield Road.

Fire crews were dis­patched from Cinderford and Coleford to tackle the fire.

The vehicle was taken to the Stagecoach depot in Gloucester where experts started a detailed examination to try to establish the cause of the fire.

Witnesses said they saw firefighters tackle the fire using breathing apparatus.

A spokesman for the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service said two pumps were sent, one from Cinderford and one from Coleford, just after 9am.

When they arrived the bus was already well alight with the fire having started in the engine bay.

Fire crews used two jets, one hose reel and four sets of breathing apparatus to deal with the incident.

Stagecoach engineering director Pete Sheldon said: “The bus was not in service when the thermal incident took place and no passengers were on board.

“The driver had noticed smoke from the rear of the vehicle and called the fire and rescue services who arrived shortly after and put out the fire.

“The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

“The vehicle has now been recovered back to Gloucester depot where an internal investigation will be carried out by the Stagecoach  Group engineering audit team to find the cause of the fire. They will then produce a report into their findings.”

•Gloucestershire Coun­ty Council was called to Morse Road in Drybrook at around midday on Tuesday to remove a fallen tree.