The bus which caught fire on the A96 at Threaplands, near Lhanbryde. Picture by Gordon Lennox
Traffic was delayed on the A96 Inverness to Aberdeen road yesterday afternoon when a double-decker bus caught fire in Moray.
Police said the coach, which had no passengers aboard, was on its way for an MOT check when a small blaze broke out.
The incident happened at 12.40pm near the Threaplands garden centre on the outskirts of Lhanbryde.
Lunchtime commuters were delayed as police cleared up an oil spillage on the road.
More than 10 firefighters from Elgin and Fochabers were sent to the scene but the driver of the bus had managed to put out the flames prior to their arrival.
Fire crews used a thermal camera to check the vehicle over before leaving the scene.
A police spokeswoman said: “We received a call at about 12.40pm about a double-decker bus having caught fire on the A96.
“There was nobody on the bus, apart from the driver, and the fire was quickly extinguished before fire crews arrived.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said the driver had used a dry powder fire extinguisher to tackle the flames.
Shortly after 1pm Elgin’s Sheriffmill motor company arrived to remove the vehicle from the side of the road.
